By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
The day that America will never forget, the day we were caught off guard, the day we watched in shock and disbelief as our nation was attacked by terrorists who had taken over our own commercial aircraft is being honored at Lone Star Flight Museum.
For those of us who were old enough to remember Tuesday, September 11, 2001, we were left without words as we watched our television screens or listened to radio announcers describe the horrific scene unfolding in New York City.
An airplane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center. As the first tower was burning, another plane crashed into the second tower.
The images remain forever seared into our minds and soul: Fire, smoke, sirens, humans flailing themselves out of plate glass windows to their sure death with firefighters rushing in to save people trapped in the buildings, many of whom died as they worked to save others.
The 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania ended the lives of 2,977 people.
In memory of the lives lost on that September morning, the Lone Star Flight Museum is providing guests with the opportunity to step into an exhibit which displays the names of every person who was killed in the attack (the names of the 19 terrorists who died in the attack are not included in the exhibit).
The memorial exhibit, titled Never Forget, is in a room just to the right of the museum entrance. As you peer into the room, you will see a large piece of rusted steel in the center. The steel is a remnant of one of the Twin Towers.
The steel draws you into the room for closer examination; suddenly the power of all the names on the four walls begs you to take time and honor the memory of those whose lives were lost.
The solemnity of seeing each of the victims’ names leaves an impact on all those who visit.
“Some people who come here look for a friend who they lost in the attack. Some people look for someone with their own name,” said Doug Owens, Lone Star Flight Museum president and CEO. “Others tell us they feel similar to how they felt when they visited the Vietnam Memorial in D.C.,” he added.
The exhibit will be on display at the museum through the early part of January.
Beyond the 9/11 exhibit is a museum filled with the history of flight in America.
Two rooms are dotted with airplanes that once flew the skies over America and over the world. Most of the retired airplanes were once used by the United States military. In addition to the two dozen planes owned by the museum, each month a visiting aircraft is on display for visitors.
A recent addition to the museum is what is commonly known as a drone, formally known as a remotely piloted aircraft. The RPA can only fly up to 100 miles an hour, but it can be flown for nearly 24 hours nonstop.
After a slowdown due to the pandemic the staff are proud of this year’s statistics. More than 32,000 guests have visited this year and that’s not counting schools and other youth groups that have been immersed in Avionics at Lone Star Flight Museum.
While getting a close-up look at historic airplanes and checking in on the history of Texas aviation is the primary attraction, Lone Star Flight Museum also hosts 27 hands-on learning exhibits for children.
On average, five student groups visit the museum each week. HEB recently donated $50,000 earmarked for use for assisting in financing more school field trips to the museum.
General Owens, a graduate of the Air Force Academy, flew A10 Thunderbolts. Now one of his favorite activities is spending time with student visitors guiding them through the museum.
“It is humbling and rewarding to be part of inspiring the young people who will one day build and fly the spaceships of the future,” said Owens.
Another activity Owens enjoys is supervising a team of volunteer pilots who care for the Warbirds. The pilots come in and maintain the planes and they provide flights over the skies of the Texas Gulf Coast for interested individuals, for a fee.
Like everyone in the region, the museum has been through a couple natural disasters and the pandemic. Coming out of the pandemic Owens is pleased to say, “The future looks bright for the museum as we continue with the challenge of honoring the past while influencing future generations in the field of aviation.”
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