NEW YORK — Twenty-one years after September 11, 2001, mourning prevails in New York City and throughout the nation. Horror and heroism mingled that fateful Tuesday, and remembrance focuses on the firefighters, police officers and rescuers who ran into danger to save lives.
But there are other innocents who are rarely remembered. There are eight children who died in one of the most tragic days in the modern history of the United States.
Their ages ranged from 2 to 11 and they were all passengers on the planes that crashed into the buildings.
Christine Lee Hanson, just 2 years old, was the youngest of the 9/11 victims. The girl was heading to California to enjoy a vacation with her parents Sue Kim Hanson and Peter Hanson.
He was supposed to visit Disneyland, every little one’s dream, but he died when terrorists crashed United Airlines Flight 175 at 9:03 a.m. into the south tower, World Trade Center 2.
Hanson was able to call his father to say goodbye before the plane hit.
David Gamboa-Brandhurst was just 3 years old when he died on the same flight. His parents, Daniel Brandhorst and Ronald Gamboa, were at his side. They both adopted Daniel at birth and, according to their friends, the little boy was “the bond of their lives.”
Likewise, Juliana Valentine McCourt, 4, was on the flight with her mother Ruth McCourt.
According to news reports, Ruth’s brother, Ron Clifford, was a software salesman working in the North Tower when the first flight, an American Airlines flight, crashed into the skyscraper. The young man managed to get out before the tower collapsed, but he witnessed Flight 175 crash into the South Tower, unaware that his sister and his niece were on board.
“I think I was on the floor praying to the Lord… when the second plane crashed, in a strange way maybe Ruth got me out of there,” Clifford told ABC News. Ruth and Juliana were also traveling to Disneyland.
The other five children were aboard American Airlines Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon. Three of them were sixth graders traveling with their teachers to California as part of a special award given to them by National Geographic. The three children were 11 years old.
Bernard Curtis Brown II’s father, remembered as a studious child, worked at the Pentagon, according to press reports.
Bernard’s mother, Sinita Brown, told NBC News that she received tons of phone calls that morning about the well-being of her husband, who was fortunately away from his office on a golf outing.
But that relief turned into great pain when Sinita learned that it was her son’s flight that crashed into her husband’s workplace. Bernard Brown Sr., enlisted in the Navy at the time, told NBC that his son was afraid of flying.
“To be honest, we talked about death. I told him: Don’t be afraid. Just listen to what the crew tells you and follow the instructions. You’ll be fine; you’ll be fine,” he told NBC. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid to die because we are all going to die someday.”
Other sixth graders on that ill-fated school trip were Asia Cottom, remembered for her talent in science and math, and Rodney Dickens, whom family members described as a sweet boy willing to help others.
Siblings Dana Falkenberg, 3, and Zoe Falkenberg, 8, also died in the attacks, as did their parents, Charles Falkenberg and Leslie Whittington, both 45. The Maryland family had missed an earlier connecting flight and instead tragically boarded Flight 77.
2023-09-09 01:30:47
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