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CNN Live At Daybreak

Spirit of One of People Killed on 09-11 Lives on in Pair of Wings

Aired May 22, 2002 - 05:55   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The spirit of one of the people killed on September 11th lives on in a pair of wings. They've flown in Afghanistan and will likely continue to fly here in the United States.

Our David Mattingly has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE LOW, FATHER: She expressly made the comment, "Mom, I love my job." She was -- with all conviction, she was just really into it.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A father's words of pride about a daughter who all her life loved to fly. On September 11th, Sarah (ph) Low was a flight attendant on board American flight 11, as hijackers crashed it into the World Trade Center. The wings she wore and cherished lost in the wreckage.

But the meaning of the wings immediately began to grow, and in ways no one could have anticipated. Sarah (ph) Low lost her life in a terrible act of violence, but it was also the beginning of an emotional journey that would take the memory of Sarah (ph) Low straight to the front lines in the war on terrorism.

(voice-over): Sarah's (ph) father sent this pair of flight attendant's wings, a gift from Sarah's (ph) roommate, with a written request to the Pentagon: "Have some good man or woman carry these wings," he wrote. "They are of sturdy metal, having resisted a lot of tears and sweaty palms, without tarnishing."

LOW: I really wanted the wings to sort of go to war with Sarah's (ph) spirit. Just a bit of a touchstone for us to have with the soldiers that were really doing the dangerous stuff.

MATTINGLY: The wings eventually found their way to Afghanistan and Staff Sergeant Mark Baker.

STAFF SGT. MARK BAKER, SPECIAL OPERATIONS: I thought it would be a great honor. I'd want somebody to be willing to do the same thing for me.

MATTINGLY: Baker, a special forces helicopter crew chief, wore the wings into some of the most dangerous combat missions of the war. More than 20 missions in all, often flying under fire: Operation Anaconda, Bagram and Tora Bora. All the while, Sarah's (ph) wings, they're now called, a constant reminder of why the fight goes on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The placard reads: "Sarah (ph) Elizabeth Low's spirit lives on..."

MATTINGLY: In this rare public ceremony for the special forces, soldiers at Fort Campbell, Kentucky brought Sarah's (ph) wings home, returned with gratitude. The combat mission a success, the Low family would now like for the wings to continue flying. They may be returned to Sarah's (ph) friend, a flight attendant, who will wear them back to the job that Sarah (ph) loved so much.

David Mattingly, CNN, Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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