One year ago today, 139 passengers waited anxiously at the Dallas -Forth Worth airport for clear weather, to continue on our personal journeys. We were strangers, worried about the flight, concerned about the night, all brought together in the confines of an MD82. None of us knew how the journey would end, or that it would seem to have no ending. For all it was a change of course, unexpected, unwelcome, and unforgiving. That journey continues.
We range in age from 2 to 81. We are parents, children, business people, students, friends and families. Some traveled together, some alone. Every seat held a soul from a different background and phase of life. We were as physically close as any strangers get.
Together we were tossed around formidable skies, lightning pierced the tortured darkness. Battering rain and torrents of wind hurled our plane and our lives into turmoil. Some panicked, some were unsuspecting, some prayed for mercy. As we approached our destination, most were terrified. Something was terribly wrong.
Then came the deafening pandemonium of crashing, ripping, burning. For an instant—silence. Then, cries of anguish and terror began as flames ripped through the broken remains of our plane. Heaven's ironic gift was torrential rain to quench the fire and lightning to show the way out.
Angels were among us in the form of injured but willing bodies who helped those in worse condition than themselves. They carried those who could not escape on their own, battling fire and hail in the struggle to free those who were bound in the broken and burning metal grave.
We were empowered by the strength of God, overcoming the pain and fear to push and pull, catch and carry our brothers and sisters. Some held cold elderly hands, some horrified children. Some gave up their own clothing to stem the blood, attempting to hold in the life of the injured. All tried to bridge the chasm between fear and safety with faith.
As we endured the assault of nature's fierceness, in the violence of wet and frigid darkness, strangers formed bonds of love. In the aftermath of tragedy, we watched flames consume the twisted wreckage that had, only moments prior, been our fortress. We spoke and sang encouragement to each other.
It was real, but surreal. We were living it, but it was a dream. It was an unfathomable nightmare that would not seem to cease. Death was with us. God was with us. Torrential storms, blasting hail, and stinking fumes and fire like Hades surrounded us. There was intense physical pain and emotional agony like none we had ever imagined. For many, this part of the journey continues.
Today, those strangers of June first, 1999 have been transformed into a family. Our number is smaller by ten. Every day we grieve for the lives that were ripped from us, and every day we pray that those lives were not taken in vain.
We stand together today, as we did that night. We grieve because we are changed forever. We seek to honor the dead by demanding improvement in a system that failed us. We will not rest nor be quiet until meaningful change is accomplished. We will never be the same. Our hearts will never be far apart. We will never forget, and together, we will not be forgotten. |
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