(WGHP) — Pat Waugh remembers the phone call.
“My mother called me and said, 'Do you have your TV on?' and I said no. And she said, 'Well, turn it on. A plane just crashed into a building in New York.'”
Most of us of a certain age have strong memories of Sept. 11, 2001, but most of us don't have a daughter who died on one of the hijacked planes.
Waugh is the mother of Sandy Bradshaw. Bradshaw was a flight attendant on United Airlines Flight 93 which was one of the planes hijacked on 9/11. Bradshaw and others on board thwarted the terrorists' plans. The plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board.
20 years later, Waugh's home is decorated with mementos that remind her of her daughter and what happened that day.
“That's always helped me to talk about it but I struggled for a long time," she said.
And she still struggles, but Waugh says keeping the legacy of her brave daughter alive helps.
Most years she attends a 9/11 ceremony at Eastern Randolph High School where Bradshaw graduated in 1981. That annual ceremony also recognizes first responders who serve our community.
Waugh says it's a reminder to the generation not even born in 2001 that the sacrifices of 9/11 continue.
“I hope people will remember 9/11 not just because of Sandy but because of what it was," Waugh said. "Our entire world changed. Not just ours personally but our whole world changed, and it’s never been the same since.”
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