BAKERSFIELD, CA - A local man is in New York to see the 9/11 Memorial Museum for the first time. His sister-in-law, Betty Ann Ong, was a flight attendant on one of the hijacked planes. She was the first to alert crews on the ground of a hijacking situation.
The memorial doesn't open to the public until May 21st but Thursday, family members will have a first look at the tribute to their loved ones.
Betty Ong was a flight attendant on American Airlines flight 11. It was the first plane to be hijacked on September 11th.
"People were astounded at how courageous she was because she was very calm. In spite of what was going on she was very calm and professional, giving the information that she felt she had to give," said her brother-in-law Edward Herrera.
Because she took action, crews knew what was happening before the planes crashed into the World Trade Center.
"Flight 93 was aware of what was going to happen.This is the contribution that is due to Betty's professionalism that really saved a lot of lives," Herrera said,
Ong's brother-in-law Edward Herrera will honor her memory today along with thousands of others who died.
"We feel that there was a lot of heroes on that day and we also have talked to many families who lost loved ones and we also talked to people who survived and saw the horror. My wife says we're a family of a club that nobody wants to join, but we had no choice. It's something that we're there to give support to other people," said Herrera.
The memorial houses more than 23,000 pictures, 500 hours of footage, and thousands of artifacts and interviews.
The museum is seven stories below ground where the twin towers used to stand.
Many artifacts are on display including the exterior spine of the original World Trade Center, and the recordings of voices of several victims' last words, donated by their families.
One of those recordings is Ong's conversation with ground crews, alerting them of the hijacking.
The memorial doesn't open to the public until May 21st but Thursday, family members will have a first look at the tribute to their loved ones.
Betty Ong was a flight attendant on American Airlines flight 11. It was the first plane to be hijacked on September 11th.
"People were astounded at how courageous she was because she was very calm. In spite of what was going on she was very calm and professional, giving the information that she felt she had to give," said her brother-in-law Edward Herrera.
Because she took action, crews knew what was happening before the planes crashed into the World Trade Center.
"Flight 93 was aware of what was going to happen.This is the contribution that is due to Betty's professionalism that really saved a lot of lives," Herrera said,
Ong's brother-in-law Edward Herrera will honor her memory today along with thousands of others who died.
"We feel that there was a lot of heroes on that day and we also have talked to many families who lost loved ones and we also talked to people who survived and saw the horror. My wife says we're a family of a club that nobody wants to join, but we had no choice. It's something that we're there to give support to other people," said Herrera.
The memorial houses more than 23,000 pictures, 500 hours of footage, and thousands of artifacts and interviews.
The museum is seven stories below ground where the twin towers used to stand.
Many artifacts are on display including the exterior spine of the original World Trade Center, and the recordings of voices of several victims' last words, donated by their families.
One of those recordings is Ong's conversation with ground crews, alerting them of the hijacking.