This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks
As a way of providing a legacy for those who died, the Friends of Flight 93 has created a national award honoring heroism.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Emily Schenkel of Bethlehem lost her aunt and godmother, Lorraine Bay, when Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville.
“She was just this amazing, lovely woman. She taught me so much about how to handle things with grace and compassion,” Schenkel says.
Bey was a senior flight attendant on that plane. With this new award, Schenkel says, the friends group hopes to remember her aunt’s sacrifice.
“The idea is to honor individuals who have demonstrated remarkable acts of selfless courage in their community,” Schenkel says. “That might be anything from running into a burning building to save somebody or whatever. It’s the idea of someone who puts others before themselves at that moment in time.”
Donna Gibson, is the president of the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial.
She says that after 20 years, they wanted to create an award to recognize individuals who embody the courage of those who fought back during that tragic flight.
“We want to make sure the efforts that those 40 individuals put forth are always remembered,” Gibson says.
Award nominees will be judged by a number of criteria, Gibson says, including volunteerism.
Starting this year, the national award will be given out on an annual basis. Nominations are open until July 4 and the winner will be awarded at a 20th anniversary memorial event in September.
