School Event Honors 9/11 Victim

Buck Kirk (left) and Samantha Cordialini sign a flag that will be taken to Shanksville, Pa., to be part of memorial. Photo by Tom Embrey.

By Tom Embrey

As of Saturday, October 23, 2010

Video

93 Cents for Flight 93

Students from Union Pines High School and other Moore County schools honored the memory of those who lost their lives on Flight 93 during an event Monday at the school. Flight 93 was hijacked in a planned terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. It crashed into an open field near Shanksville, Pa. The event was to raise awareness of the event of Sept. 11 and to raise money for a Flight 93 national memorial. The first to talk in the video is State Representative Jamie Boles. The second speaker was Deborah Borza. Her daughter, Deora Bodley, was on Flight 93. The last speaker is Frank Guera, the grandfather of Deora Bodley.

Deora Bodley knew the value of education.

Bodley did extensive volunteer work with students of all ages. Most notably, she worked with the America Reads Program, assisting first- and second-graders, before her untimely death. At 20, Bodley was the youngest female passenger on Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania after it was hijacked by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.

Bodley’s mother, Deborah Borza, and grandfather, Frank Guera, attended an event on Monday at Union Pines High School aimed at educating students about what happened that day and raising funds for a national memorial for Flight 93.

“She loved to volunteer her time,” Borza said of her daughter. “She knew the importance of being with other children her age and working with children younger than she was, so to be here with you is very special. I am just reminded of her in every way.”

The group, “93 cents for Flight 93,” aims to bring awareness and raise funds for the Flight 93 national memorial. The group has partnered with the HALO Foundation to develop a special intergenerational fundraising program among students to connect these young people to the Flight 93 National Memorial through service and charity.

One big attraction of the event was an 18-wheeler that honors the program and the 40 passengers and crew who lost their lives on Flight 93.

Guera’s wife, Linda, said she was overwhelmed by the number of students and their enthusiasm. She said she hopes that the success of the event will spur others to get involved.

“This is a wonderful event,” Linda Guera said. “We are hoping now that this happened to get Pinecrest High School and other area schools to bring this back.”

Students attending the event signed a flag that will be taken to Pennsylvania to be placed at a memorial that honors those who lost their lives on Flight 93. Next year is the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Students also received small American flags courtesy of state Rep. Jamie Boles. Boles spoke to the students, telling them that Sept. 11, 2001, was a day like no other, and encouraged them to remember the date and honors those who lost their lives.

“We should never, never forget,” he said.

Boles was one of several elected officials on hand. Others included County Commissioner Larry Cad-dell, School Board member Dale Frye and Aberdeen Commissioner Pat Ann McMurray.

The Union Pines Junior ROTC program headed by Keith Dangerfield was instrumental in organizing the event. Other organizations who helped support the event include Vietnam Veterans of Moore County, Moore County DAV Rob-bins VFW and the Southern Pines VFW.

Contact Tom Embrey at tembrey@thepilot.com.