Joined by State legislators, members of City Council and residents, Newark officials hosted an event marking the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The ceremony included remarks by the family of Robert J. Fangman, Claymont, who served as a flight attendant on United Airlines Flight #175, as well as a proclamation reading recognizing September 11, 2016, as Patriot Day in the City of Newark.
“Students entering high school this year will be learning about 9/11 as a historical event that took place before they were born,” said City Manager Carol Houck. “That fact heightens our responsibility to tell the stories of courage that defined our nation that day.”
Three American flags, representing each of the attack sites, were also displayed during the event in memory of the nearly 3,000 individuals who perished that day. Among the victims were Delawareans like Fangman, whose brother Steve and mother Ruth attended the ceremony.
“My brother’s name is on the wall inside of the museum at the 9/11 memorial, where it says that Robert John Fangman was likely the flight attendant that called the ground from the back of the plane letting them know what happened,” said Steve Fangman. “I can guarantee you that after that happened, he sat down and comforted the people around him, because that’s who he was.”
The Newark community is encouraged to display American flags on Patriot Day to honor the victims and to take steps to recapture the spirit of service and community that emerged after 9/11.
The attacks also claimed U.S. Navy meteorologist Matthew Flocco, of Newark. Flocco died when a passenger jet crashed into the Pentagon. A street in Newark was named in his honor.
