Fall and Rise page 1

 Fall and Rise page 1 by ric gustafson

Sept 10 2001

Captain John Ogonowski walked in the door of his farm house in Dracut Massachusetts.

" Dad, please help me with my math".

The 50 year old pilot gave a tired smile to his 16 year old daughter and his wife Peg. John was tired. He had just driven to their 130 acre farm 30 miles north of Boston. He had just piloted American Airlines Flight 11 from LA. After 23 years as a commercial pilot, he was tired. He enjoyed coming to his farm to rest.

After dinner of chicken cutlets and ice cream, John wanted to try and get someone to cover his six hour shift for the next morning. His shift the next morning Sept 11 was a 6 hour return trip to California. There were things he needed to do on his farm. 

John went to the TV room. He turned on the desktop computer. He logged into the American Airlines scheduling system. But it was to no avail. John  had to do the shift. He was going to be again the Captain of American Airlines Flight 11. The flight was nonstop from Boston to LA.

research help: ' Fall and Rise' by Mitchell Zuckoff

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric