[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19071]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF THE HEROISM OF BETTY ONG

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                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 2004

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Betty Ong, a 
native daughter of San Francisco's Chinatown and a hero for our Nation 
on September 11, 2001.
  On that tragic day, Betty Ong was a flight attendant on American 
Airlines Flight 11 from Boston bound for Los Angeles. Flight 11 left 
Boston's Logan Airport at 7:59 a.m. with Mohammed Atta and four other 
terrorists on board. From the time the terrorists took over the plane 
until she lost contact, Betty remained calm and professional. For 23 
minutes, she relayed vital information to her colleagues on the ground. 
The information Betty provided in that horrifying situation later 
allowed the FBI to discern the identity of the terrorists onboard 
Flight 11.
  In January of this year, the 9/11 Commission heard a tape of Betty's 
urgent message. In its report, the Commission confirmed that Betty was 
indeed the first person to report the hijacking. 9/11 Commission 
Chairman Thomas Kean declared, ``Betty Ong is a true American hero.''
  On September 21, 2001, a memorial service for Betty was held in San 
Francisco's Chinatown where Betty was born and maintained strong family 
and community ties. At that time Mayor Willie Brown proclaimed 
September 21 to be ``Betty Ong Day.'' This year, the Chinatown 
Community Development Center is again honoring her.
  It is with pride and sadness that I join in paying tribute to Betty's 
courage and her heroism. I hope it is a comfort to her family that so 
many people remember and honor her heroic acts.

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