Aviator family remembers flight attendants killed on AA Flight 77

CHARLOTTE — One hundred eighty-four people died in Washington, D.C., on 9/11, including Ken and Jennifer Lewis. They were flight attendants on American Flight 77, which slammed into the Pentagon on the same morning that two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York.

“Our lives are so different than what they should have been,” said Betsy Gore.

Betsy Gore and her husband, Barry, lost his sister and her brother-in-law that day.

They are very familiar with the airline industry. Barry was a flight attendant with US Airways, and Betsy was a pilot with Northwest Airlines.

Their worst fears were realized on 9/11. Like everyone else, they were in the dark during the initial stages.

“I was panicking,” said Barry Gore. “I called American Airlines.”

“I said, ‘Do you know if there are any survivors?’ And then I realized they went into the Pentagon. There weren’t any survivors, just like the Twin Towers,” Barry Gore said. “I knew, but it was a pretty hectic time.”

Days later, a postcard arrived, reminding them of their loss. For Betsy, the pain was especially sharp because her sister-in-law was also her best friend.

“We always went to concerts together. It had ‘Mellencamp Ain’t Life Grand’ on the front. On the back, it was dated 9/11 from Dulles. They mailed it right before they went through security. It said, ‘Wish you were here. Love you, Jen and Ken,’” Betsy Gore said.

The Gores feel the flight crews should be considered the first line of defense, but don’t get enough credit during 9/11 memorials.

“It was like we weren’t there, but they were, and that’s a message that has always bothered me, and I’m sure everyone who works as a crew,” Betsy Gore said.

Although the country comes together on 9/11, the Gores remember the initial days following the attack, and they don’t believe it’s the same.

“Both Jen and Ken would be really sad about the way things are right now,” Betsy Gore said. “We love our country, and I think they would be sad to see what’s going on.”

The memorials don’t get any easier, but the Gores participate to send our enemies a message: You did not win.

“You attacked us, but you didn’t break us as a nation, as a country,” Barry Gore said.

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