Betty Ong called in the 9/11 hijacking of Flight 11 — 25 years later, her family answers her question

The anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks draws near, and twenty-five years later, Harry Ong still gets anxious.

Each year as September 11th draws near, the pressure rises and the strain grows, sometimes to a point of debilitation, according to Ong, who added, “We never forget.”

Betty Ong was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, which was the first plane hijacked by terrorists on September 11th. Her older brother, Harry Ong, made the announcement at the memorial service. Twenty minutes after the flight departed from Boston Logan International Airport, Betty Ong contacted the American Airlines reservation desk to report that someone had been stabbed in business class and that the cockpit was not responding.

“I think we’re getting hijacked,” she said.

The 23-Minute Call

For 23 minutes, Betty Ong remained on the line with American Airlines representatives, supplying key details about where the terrorists sat that aided authorities in identifying the men.

The plane went off course, and air traffic controllers sensed that something was amiss. Betty Ong was the first person to report what was happening.

The phone connection was cut off at the moment Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

Harry Ong said: “We’re very proud of Betty and what she did.”

Finding Betty’s Remains

Six months after the attacks, a thigh bone belonging to Betty Ong was discovered two blocks away from the World Trade Center. It was burned, and her remains were buried in the Ong family burial ground in Colma.

Harry Ong said that roughly four in ten families have yet to receive any remains of their loved ones. He added that it means a great deal to have someone back home, even when all that comes back is a single bone from the knee.

Born in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Betty Ong spent her early years there. Her relatives remain in the area today.

A Family Retreat

Her family marks the anniversary of the attacks with a retreat that honors her memory, but that is not all they do for her.

Ong noted that the pain and suffering remain, but she and her family are working to push past it by giving back to the community through volunteer work.

The Chinese Recreation Center has been taken over by the family, who gave it a new name in honor of Betty Ong.

The Betty Ann Ong Foundation

Throughout the year, the family puts on events and celebrations for children. They also set up the Betty Ann Ong Foundation, which offers summer camps and free shoe programs to young people in Bakersfield, where one of Betty’s sisters resides.

Ong said it is simply a good feeling, adding that it means promoting Betty’s legacy continually.

A Question the Family Answers

The composure Betty Ong showed while reporting on the hijacking has made her a hero.

A quarter of a century later, her brother still recalls what she asked during that phone call, a question that the family has been answering ever since.

At the close of the recording, Betty repeated several times, “Are you there?” I can confirm to her that we’re all here for her.

Key Facts at a Glance

A Legacy of Service

Betty’s name is still alive well past the yearly gathering. A center in San Francisco dedicated to Chinese recreation now carries it, and the Ong family continues to run its activities all through the year.

The hurt still lingers, according to Harry Ong, yet his family has turned its attention to assisting others instead.

Answering Betty’s Question

Betty’s question still drives the Ong family’s work today, 25 years on. They have stayed here all that time, serving children and buying shoes one pair at a time, through every camp they run.

Source: abc7news.com

9/11 · Betty Ong · Flight 11 · foundation · hero · memorial