Sunday, September 20, 2026

Remembrance of Captain Jason Dahl, Pilot of United Flight 93


Thank you to all who read and commented on my blog post about the sad 25th Anniversary of 9/11. 

We have so many memories of that horrific day, and the 25-year milestone was a poignant time of remembrance for us, and I'm sure for you. 

Also touching for us was learning 13 years ago that Jason Dahl, the pilot and captain of the doomed United Flight 93 plane brought down by brave passengers on 9/11 into a field in Pennsylvania before it could destroy another part of Washington, DC, was a resident who lived in our Colorado suburban Front Range neighborhood. 

Many of our friends knew Jason and told us what a wonderful person he was, as a neighbor, husband, father, and Boy Scout Leader.



After his tragic death on 9/11, our community erected a small memorial to Captain Dahl on our main street, just outside his neighborhood. It is a marble stone with a bronze eagle in flight. Over the years, neighbors have decorated it every 9/11 in remembrance, as you can see in the collage of photos I took.

A non-profit, the Jason Dahl Scholarship Foundation, was also established in his memory. It supports future generations of pilots, young people yearning to fly, through the award of Aviation Scholarships annually.





This year, on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11, there was a special remembrance ceremony held for Captain Dahl and all those who perished on 9/11, held at his memorial, generously sponsored by local businesses.

In attendance as speakers were neighbors who knew Captain Dahl as well as other members of our community, Police and Fire Color Guards, our local West Metro Fire Department, a Fire Department Ceremonial Bagpiper, some United Airlines pilots,  and two ladies who sang a variety of patriotic songs.


You can see the "Missing Man" flyover that occurred at the beginning of the Memorial program in this Youtube short video.



The bagpiper played a few songs, one of which was "Amazing Grace," which always brings a tear to my eyes.

You can also watch it as a short video on this YouTube link


A special memorial American Flag was folded by a Police Color Guard, and a Red, White, and Blue flower wreath was placed at Captain Dahl's Memorial.




The Color Guard also marched off with the United States of America Flag and Colorado State Flag at the end of the ceremony.



The ceremony ended with all of us singing "America the Beautiful."

It was a very honorable remembrance ceremony for Captain Dahl and all those who perished on 9/11.

May we always remember them...


... and may we also remember these words spoken after 9/11 by the late Mrs. Sandy Dahl:

"If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate." -- Sandy Dahl



PS: We were away last week, "Leaf Peeping" the aspen trees in the Rocky Mountains turning their gorgeous golden fall color--join me again on my blog soon to see more!

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Sunday, September 6, 2026

25th Anniversary of 9-11 in New York City


 This is how I'll always remember the Twin Towers in New York City. 

This photo hangs in the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

 When I saw this photo on a visit to this very emotionally touching museum, I had an immediate flashback to the last time I saw the towers in August of 2001, when I waited to meet my husband, who worked in 7 World Trade Center, located across the street from WTC Tower 1. I sat in the WTC promenade by the fountain, and I remember watching a window-washing crew at work up high on Tower 2. 

We had traveled all around Italy with our college-age children that past May, and I remember thinking how we traveled so far to see so much beauty in Italy, but then sometimes take for granted the marvels we see almost every day here at home in the USA.




The unidentified remains found in the rubble after the terrorist attack are located behind this wall inside the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. The New York City Medical Examiner's Office is still identifying remains as tests become more sophisticated.



This photo is of our children when they were young, standing inside the glass tunnel entrance to 7 World Trade Center from the WTC Promenade. My husband worked in that building from 1987 to 2001. WTC 7 collapsed at 5:20:52 p.m. on Sept. 11, 2001, after enduring fires for almost seven hours, from the time of the collapse of the north WTC tower.

We were all fortunate that day, as my husband was home preparing to leave for a business golf outing. Our daughter was home as she was attending NYU and did not live in the dorm that year, but drove to the college from our home in Brooklyn. Our son, who had graduated from college in Washington, D.C. that spring, stayed to work there at the time and lived a few blocks north of the White House. He was preparing to go to work when he heard the news that the WTC towers and the Pentagon were hit.


Part of the memorial for the 343 firefighters killed on 9/11 at the Ten House Firehouse, located on Liberty Street. My older brother was an FDNY lieutenant for almost 30 years and had retired a few years before 9/11. He knew many of the firemen who perished that day. 

I have written many blog posts about 9/11, as you can see by the tab on my blog's sidebar under "Labels." Some of them show the many memorials to the memory of 9/11 that we have seen all around the country. The latest one we saw was as part of the Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab we visited with friends last summer in Denver, Colorado. You can read about the purpose of this museum on their FAQ page.

They had a steel beam from the WTC on display as part of an exhibit.


When we moved from NYC to Colorado in 2013, we learned the pilot, Jason Dahl, from the third hijacked airplane on 9/11,  Flight 93, had lived in our neighborhood. 

His flight was the plane that the brave passengers brought down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to prevent further destruction in Washington DC.



This memorial was dedicated to his memory in the area where his home was located. 

In 2002, the Captain Jason Dahl Scholarship Fund was established to provide two deserving aviation students a scholarship grant in Jason’s name.

Our neighborhood all gathered on the 20th anniversary to remember and honor Captain Dahl, and we plan to do the same for this 25th Anniversary.

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn
that life is short and there is no time for hate.”
~ Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl


The 9/11 Memorial and Museum has a special 25th Anniversary Remembrance and Service page.

Is there a 9-11 Memorial where you live? I'd love to learn about it in your comments below.

To all our friends, neighbors, and work associates that we lost on 9-11...

We will never forget!


It is up to all of us to make the world a better place.
 Let us spread kindness and defeat hate!

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