9/11 one year later: victims and survivors grieve, remember and raise pointed questions

Ebony, Oct, 2002 by Marsha Gilbert, Kevin Chappell

ONE year ago, 12 months ago, 8,760 hours ago, at 8:46 a.m. (Eastern time), Tuesday, September 11, America changed forever.

As in all other American disasters, as in the Boston Massacre, as in the slaveholder attack on the American flag, as in Pearl Harbor, African-Americans were at the center of the cyclone as victims, heroes and warriors on the watch-tower.

Among the heroic Americans pushed to the front of the political, economic and emotional landmark were Lt. Col. Marilyn Wills, pictured in front of the Pentagon, where she helped save lives; First Officer LeRoy W. Homer Jr., co-pilot, United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pa.; CeeCee Lyles and Wanda Green, who were flight attendants on the same plane, and young Black students like 11-year-olds Rodney Dickens, Bernard Brown Jr., and Asia Cottom, along with their respective teachers, James Debeucure, Hilda E. Taylor and Sarah M. Clark, who died on American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon.

One year-later, the survivors and victims of the tragedy are still dealing with grief, anger and unanswered questions. Many meet with therapists to find peace for sleepless nights and uncontrollable tears. Some accept the tragedy as predestined fate; others are filled with rage against the terrorists. All question what could have been done to prevent the tragedy.

A number of leaders, including the Rev. Gardner C. Taylor, have suggested in EBONY and elsewhere that Americans of all colors and creeds can learn from African-Americans who have repeatedly triumphed over terrorism and who are perhaps the world's greatest specialists in bouncing back and refusing to let disaster define their situation and the world.

First Officer LEROY W. HOMER JR. Remembered by His Widow MELODIE HOMER

MELODIE HOMER'S life was perfect on Labor Day 2001. She, her husband and daughter were visiting her parents in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She looked across the table at her handsome husband of three-and-one-half years, LeRoy W. Homer Jr., a United Airlines co-pilot. His outgoing personality made him a welcome addition to her family. Their 10-month-old daughter, Laurel Nicole, captivated everyone's attention as she held on to the table's edge for support while she practiced walking.

"Everything was great," says Homer, smiling, in her Marlton, N.J., living room, remembering one of the last great days of summer, and of her old life.

A week later, her life changed forever when terrorists commandeered the United Airlines flight her husband was co-piloting. When passengers and crew tried to regain control, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. All 44 people aboard were killed.

"To say the past year has been difficult doesn't begin to describe it," says Homer, a petite, soft-spoken woman. "It's still fresh. The event is surreal."

Homer sits motionless in one corner of her green and beige floral sofa, occasionally wiping away tears and wringing her hands. She cautions that part of how she copes with her husband's sudden death is not to talk about it.

"I feel beat up when I talk about it," Homer, 35, says.

The widow doesn't remember all the details of that day, primarily because she has tried to blot them out, but she believes she was watching television when she first heard that United Airlines Flight 93 had been hijacked.

Two or three frantic calls to the airlines confirmed her worst fears. Then people started calling from all over. Homer's mother called from a cruise ship. Homer's father called from Canada. Eventually, despite overworked phone lines, Homer got word to her mother-in-law in Long Island.

One of the most difficult hurdles to overcome in the past year has been repeated media accounts of the day's events. She tries to avoid them, but even when she turns off the television and doesn't read the newspaper, images of September 11 hound her.

Even if Homer doesn't talk about her husband, her home is filled with memories of him, including photos of the couple with their newborn daughter and the photographs her husband took of sunsets.

The trophies and honors she received since September 11 are on and under tables in the living room. Some of them include the National Newsmaker of the Year award from the Black Press of America, an award from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and a flag from the Air Force Academy. An annual award named The LeRoy Homer Heroship will be given to a firefighter locally in Marlton, N.J.

"The awards are difficult to receive because they make me think about why I am there," Homer says. "But I'm glad they're not forgetting."

As she speaks, Homer looks over at the shopping bags that fill the middle of the traditionally furnished living room. The bags contain donated items to be auctioned off at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Money raised from auctioning everything from cars to lunch for four with Dr. Ruth Westheimer will fund three scholarships in the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation.

Homer, along with her family and in-laws, established the foundation to help people ages 16 to 23 pursue aviation careers as professional pilots. They plan to award three $5,000 scholarships next year to honor the memory of LeRoy Homer, who did odd jobs to pay for flying lessons and was licensed to fly small planes when he was 16. He went on to graduate from the Air Force Academy, was a captain in the Air Force and served during Desert Storm.