Remembering SF Native And 9/11 Hero Betty Ong

View this post on Instagram

“Pray for us. Pray for us.” These were American Airlines flight attendant Betty Ong’s last words right before Flight 11 hurtled into the World Trade Center’s North Tower on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001. 2022 marks the 21st year since the devastating terrorist attack, and cities nationwide continue to remember the tragedy, particularly for those with New York connections or loved ones lost to this horrific moment in contemporary American history.

In San Francisco, the valiant efforts of local native Betty Ong remain honored and respected, as her bravery to alert authorities with vital information amid life-threatening circumstances tremendously aided the awareness and subsequent efforts to prepare for what was about to unfold.

See also: 10 Bay Area AAPI Organizations To Support And Show Solidarity With

View this post on Instagram

Born on February 5, 1956, and raised in San Francisco's own Chinatown, Betty Ong was the youngest or four siblings and was active member of the community before eventually rising to become an astute and beloved flight attendant for American Airlines.

On the day of September 11, the 45-year old assigned herself to Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles to meet up with her sister for a vacation to Hawaii.

View this post on Instagram

Ong was assigned to the plane's rear area instead of first and business class, and when the plane got hijacked, she was the first to cleverly use a telephone card to call the American Airline's operations/Raleigh reservations center and alert the crew on the ground of the current escalating situation.

Stealthily from the plane's back galley, she, along with another flight attendant Madeline Amy Sweeney, calmly informed on the three hijackers' seat numbers, which passengers had been stabbed, how mace had been used, and how none of the crew could no longer access the cockpit.

View this post on Instagram

“The cockpit is not answering. Somebody's stabbed in business class, and, um, I think there's Mace and we can't breathe. I don't know, I think we are getting hijacked," Ong quietly reported, staying on the line for the next 23 minutes to courageously relay the happenings before the plane met its conclusion at the 8:46 a.m., the first of the two to suffer at ground zero.

Ong's professionalism and steadfast bravery allowed the Federal Aviation Administration to take swift action and close the airspace, the first time in history it has been done. Her knowledge of the seat numbers also helped authorities quickly identify the hijackers, as well as later enact the airline ban of small knives.

Betty spent 14 years loving her profession, rising to head flight attendant and fulfilling her childhood dream to travel and make money to support her family.

Her remains were eventually discovered in the aftermath and returned back home to San Francisco, where she was later cremated and buried in Colma's Cypress Lawn Memorial Park.

Her favorite childhood recreation center in Chinatown being renamed in her honor in 2011 as the Betty Ann Ong Chinese Recreation Center, and The Betty Ong Foundation was also established.

View this post on Instagram

Her heroic efforts and vibrant spirit are also memorialized in both the National September 11 Memorial's North Pool at panel N-74, and in the 9/11 Memorial Museum with her uniform, lapel pins, and a career photograph that truly showcases her benevolent dedication to her work and service.

See also: The Impactful & Inspiring History of The SF National AIDS Memorial Grove And Quilt