From there:
I got up and turned on the TV, and there was just this big black hole in the World Trade Center. And there was just smoke billowing out of it. I called my sister Cathy I said, “You might wanna wake up, turn in your TV and take a look at what they’re showing.” The commentator’s saying that it’s an American Airlines plane. And I casually asked Cathy, I said, “Do you know where Betty is?” And she says, “Betty’s supposed to be flying out of Boston.” And I said, “Do you think Betty is on that plane?” We just didn’t know. So I left a phone call on her cellphone, just asking her when she’s landed or anywhere you’re on the ground, to just give us a call and tell us you’re okay. And there was no call from Betty. I called American Airlines, and it was only then that it was confirmed that Betty was on the flight.
I just want to add, through your passing, Betty, our family’s gotten very very close. Dad, who’s quite stoic, doesn’t really say a whole lot, man of the family, one day told us that he cries himself to sleep. Even to this day, he just keeps staying up watching TV, hoping somehow that you’ll reappear. And we’re all still waiting for that phone call from you to tell us that you’re okay. We just miss you a whole lot.
You may find the transcript of Betty Ong’s conversation reporting the hijacking from the American airlines plane here.
On September 11, 2001, New York — and the nation — faced the unimaginable. Now, 24 years later, the spirit of unity that helped us recover and rebuild can inspire a whole new generation.
— 9/11 Memorial & Museum (@Sept11Memorial) September 10, 2025
Each anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect and affirm our promise to never forget.… pic.twitter.com/RyxScc5MLu
