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CNN Live Event/Special
Interview with Alice Hoglan
Aired September 11, 2002 - 08:11 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: There was no video of Flight 93, which crashed in the field behind me. It was the saving act of 40 passengers and the crew members of Flight 93 that may have saved hundreds, if not thousands, of lives somewhere in the nation's capital as those passengers took over and did what the nation's defense systems could not do at that very moment, and that was to overcome the hijackers that day.
The ceremony here will be taking place at about 9:30 Eastern to honor those lives.
But joining me, the mother of Mark Bingham, one of the heroes of Flight 93.
Thanks so much for joining us, Alice Hoglan.
ALICE HOGLAN, MOTHER OF MARK BINGHAM: It's my pleasure.
Thanks for having me.
LIN: You know, it's still very hard to watch those pictures.
HOGLAN: Yes.
LIN: And I'm just wondering, when you see the replay of that day...
HOGLAN: It's very moving. It's, it just brings it all back seeing it here, to see that the images of Flight 175 hitting the South Tower and the North Tower in flames, the Pentagon in flames. And to sit here on the field knowing that one year ago exactly Mark and the other beautiful people on Flight 93 met their deaths, such an ugly thing to happen in such a beautiful place.
LIN: Mark, an extraordinary young man, who made a life as, a career as a public relations executive.
HOGLAN: Yes.
LIN: He'd spent that summer running with the bulls in Pamplona and living life large. What's it like for you to be back here? I know you've been here before, silent moments with the other families.
HOGLAN: It's very moving. It has been a beautiful experience. The people of Somerset County and Shanksville have been beautiful to us and the local charitable organizations, Pennsylvania September 11 and Nova, Susan Hankinson deserves a lot of credit for putting together...
LIN: The organizer of the memorial.
HOGLAN: ... such a lovely event that she has helped us to experience. Last night at Seven Springs, a local resort, Susan put together a beautiful, beautiful program, the Johnstown --
LIN: Symphony Orchestra.
HOGLAN: ... Symphony Orchestra was there and the marine color guard. And they played Adagio for Strings and they showed the faces of our 40 loved ones, family members. And you could just, the feeling was just palpable. It was a lovely experience.
LIN: People described it as uplifting...
HOGLAN: Yes.
LIN: ... which is great to hear one year later.
HOGLAN: It was.
LIN: Alice, I want to read back one of my favorite quotes that you had told several months ago about the recovery process when you doubted even for yourself that you could really move forward or how you were going to move forward. And you said, "I know I have to find contentment in my life. You can't prevent the birds of sorrow from building a nest in your head."
HOGLAN: Well...
LIN: How are you doing that now?
HOGLAN: Well, it's a slow go. In some ways I hope never, never to find release. I hope to dedicate my life to the issues that have come up as a result of September 11.
LIN: Now, you said you wanted to use your anger, to remember your anger about what happened here to help on this.
HOGLAN: Yes, and I hope all of America does that. I hope that we don't slide into complacency. I'm very grateful for this important marker, anniversary, because it's a time for us to reflect not only on the heroism of our loved ones, the sacrifice of the people who died that day, but also on the fact that terrorism is an ever present threat.
LIN: Well, you're a flight attendant, or you were a flight attendant for United Airlines.
HOGLAN: I am a flight attendant.
LIN: And still so when Mark crashed.
HOGLAN: Yes. LIN: And you have been very active on the issue of making sure that flight attendants get proper training on board. How is that going?
HOGLAN: That's correct. Well, the 5th of September, the Association of Flight Attendants marched in force on Capitol Hill, lobbying for the Senate bill, the arming pilots and cabin defensive security training for flight attendants bill. And I'm happy to say that our efforts paid off. We...
LIN: Right.
HOGLAN: The Senate bill passed something like 87-6 and it was a beautiful day for us. We support the bill because it provides for a uniform standard for training for flight attendants. We need cabin defense security training.
LIN: And we'll never forget the story of Sandy Bradshaw, one of the flight attendants on board Flight 93 who boiled water in preparation...
HOGLAN: Yes.
LIN: ... to attack the hijackers.
HOGLAN: Yes, and CeeCee Lyles and the other flight attendants, Lorraine Bay and Wanda Anita Green.
LIN: You'll be honoring them all today at the ceremony at 9:30 Eastern.
HOGLAN: Deborah Welsh. Yes.
LIN: Alice Hoglan, thank you very much for joining us.
HOGLAN: You're welcome.
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