Remembrance and Legacy: A Personal Account of September 11

Listen · 7:14 min

By Charlie Greene

Charlie Greene, the son of Donald F. Greene, reflects on the events surrounding September 11, 2001, where his father died aboard United Airlines Flight 93.

When Charlie was 10 years old, trauma came unexpectedly through a conversation with his pediatrician. That morning, he was home due to a toe infection when the doctor mentioned that a plane had struck the World Trade Center.

At a young age, the world seems small and familiar. Just a week earlier, Charlie and his family enjoyed a tranquil Labor Day weekend at his grandfather’s house near Candlewood Lake, Connecticut. They spent time sailing, cooking, and savoring the warmth of an ordinary family gathering.

In the doctor’s office that morning, Charlie’s thoughts didn’t link the news to the fact that his dad had left their Greenwich home, headed to Newark Airport, and boarded a flight to San Francisco. His father often traveled for work since he worked in aviation. His departure wasn’t unusual. Yet, the night before, Charlie asked his father to wake him up for a goodbye, a request his mother would later remember with astonishment.

Upon returning from the doctor’s office and watching CNN’s coverage of the smoke coming from the twin towers and the Pentagon, his mother shared the heartbreaking news that his father’s flight had lost contact.

Charlie’s father, Donald Greene, was on United Airlines Flight 93. Unlike the planes that hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Flight 93 did not reach its intended target. After realizing the plane was hijacked by terrorists aiming for Washington, the passengers and crew fought back. The plane crashed in a vacant field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Those aboard sacrificed themselves to avert an even greater disaster.

In the 25 years following that day, Charlie’s family has honored his father’s memory by visiting that rural field.