Flight Crew Memorial Becomes Reality

Dean Thompson stood in the blazing Texas sun and watched intently as another piece of his legacy was lifted from a trailer and slowly lowered onto the foundation of the 9-11 Flight Crew Memorial in Grapevine, Texas.

When I asked him what was going through his mind he didn't answer. I don't know if he didn't hear me, or if he was simply preoccupied with the anxiety of seeing the epic work he'd invested so much time and effort on hanging precariously from a crane cable in mid-air.

I realized I might be spoiling the moment, so I fell silent and didn't repeat my question.

Instead I just watched him. His gaze was fixed on the workers as they carefully positioned the huge globe and eagles on the foundation next to the other bronze figures already in place. On a trailer some forty feet away, two more bronze statues awaited their trip to the foundation.

Earlier that afternoon I had the pleasure of meeting Dean and conducting an informal interview.

Dean told me that some time after the tragic terror attacks of September 11, 2001, he was talking to his wife, Valerie, an American flight attendant. When Valerie mentioned that she hadn't seen much done to memorialize the heroic flight crews who responded with valor and dedication on that day, Dean replied, "I think we can do something about that."

He had no idea how big that "something" would end up being.

Today, July 4, 2008, a ceremony began to dedicate the massive memorial that sprang from the minds of the Thompsons. Precisely at 10:00 AM, three planes passed low over the crowd of hundreds who gathered in the tiny memorial park at Texan Trail and highway 26 in Grapevine, Texas. As one left the formation, signifying the lost heroes of September 11, the patriotic speeches and music began, with prayer ascending to the heavens from the gathered participants. It was a breath-taking and emotional culmination of thousands of hours by volunteers and other workers who helped the Flight Crew memorial become reality.

One of those volunteers, Joe Luccioni, had spent some time chatting with me the day before as we watched the final segments of the sculpture being firmly placed upon the foundation.

Joe is a cheerful transplant from New York who flies in the face of the traditional southern perception of New Yorkers. With an infectious, flashing grin he guided me to the small model of the statues we were there to see assembled, pride and exuberance surrounding him in a palpable cloud.

He told me about his participation in the "Grunt Squad", a group of three volunteers consisting of Joe, Chris Reyher, and Gary Housam. I realized as he explained in detail the complex process of creating a bronze sculpture on this scale takes hundreds of workers, and it became apparent that these three were in the thick of it when it came to the manual labor invested in this project under the direction of Dean Thompson.

"Dean just told us what to do, and we did it," was Joe's humble summary of the incredible time and labor these three spent helping Dean to mold and transport the many pieces of casting media from his shop to the foundry.

When Joe guided me to the comparatively tiny scale model of the sculpture so I could take a photograph, I asked him if I could get a shot of him standing beside it. Joe scuttled out of the shot and and politely declined. It was apparent that he didn't want the story to be about him.

He was partially right. The story should be about what the memorial is about: Recognizing the valor and commitment of those flight crew members and passengers who fought, saved lives, and died on September 11, 2001.

Yet there is a lot to be said for the underlying story of the 911 Flight Crew Memorial. September 11 didn't just spotlight those who lost lives and fought to save others that day. It has also spotlighted the American spirit of people like Dean and Valerie Thompson, Joe Luccioni, Chris Reyher, Gary Housam, and countless others who have volunteered their sweat, blood, tears, and time to honor others.

Their efforts have helped us to keep the promise we made that day: "To Never Forget".

These are also heroes of 9/11.