Flight 800

- it is hard to believe that was 10 years ago, I remeber it so clearly.

A girl from my h.s. (a year older) was on that flight on a trip given to her for her graduation. i remeber hearing they found her class ring with her initials engraved in it - and she was the only one with those initials.

Re: Flight 800

I was in California at the time and had to fly back to NY alone. On top of that fear, I was worried about a friend who was going to Paris for the summer, but I couldn't remember when she was leaving. I was so nervous for days wondering if she was on that flight. Sadly, she died 2 months later of an asthma attack, but I will never forget my relief when I found out she was leaving a few days after flight 800.

Re: Flight 800

Wow... has it really been 10 years? So, so sad :(

Re: Flight 800

Beena,
When did you graduate from KMHS? I'm a '95 grad. I can't believe its 10 years either.

Re: Flight 800

My cousin was supposed to be on that flight with his friend. At the last minute, they changed to a charter flight (not sure if that's the right term) to save money.

But, they were at the airport sitting at the bar looking out the window when it happened. He and his friend SWEAR that they saw something flying up to the plane and hitting it and then the plane going down.

Re: Flight 800

i can't believe its 10 yrs

Re: Flight 800

Re: Flight 800

I can't believe that it's been ten years either. For me, it's one of those events where I'll always remember what I was doing and where I was when I heard the news.

Re: Flight 800

wow, 10 years???? Its true..certain times of your life when major events happen you remember exactly where you were, what you were doing.

Re: Flight 800

I remember this well - how sad.

Re: Flight 800

Posted by beena

- it is hard to believe that was 10 years ago, I remeber it so clearly.

A girl from my h.s. (a year older) was on that flight on a trip given to her for her graduation. i remeber hearing they found her class ring with her initials engraved in it - and she was the only one with those initials.

Re: Flight 800

My dad is a forensic dentist and worked that flight identifying the bodies.

The saddest part is that his partner and his wife were on the flight and he had to ID them as well.

Re: Flight 800

Re: Flight 800

I remember it all pretty well.

A guy I was dating at the time knew one of the girls on the flight. My uncle was actually one of the people removing bodies from the water on his boat. It was so sad and very scary.

Re: Flight 800

Here's a really touching article from back then about Deirdre Feeney and her mom Vera who died on Flight 800. She was a Kellenberg student from New Hyde Park.

Copyright 1996 SOFTLINE INFORMATION, INC.
Ethnic NewsWatch
Irish Voice
July 30, 1996
SECTION: Vol. 10; No. 31; Pg. 8

SLI-ACC-NO: 1096IVTB 020 000011

LENGTH: 1331 words

HEADLINE: TWA Tragedy Strikes Irish Family


BYLINE: McGoldrick, Debbie


BODY:

TWA Tragedy Strikes Irish Family.

"WAS it a bomb?" John Feeney answers my Tuesday morning question with one
of his own.

"I wouldn't really know, and it doesn't matter now, anyway", he adds.

Indeed, for the families and friends who lost their loved ones in the
ill-fated TWA Flight 800 bound for Paris last Wednesday evening, getting to the
root cause of the disaster won't change the mind-boggling fact that 229 people
lost their lives in a staggering catastrophe that has left a trail of
devastation in its wake.

John Feeney, 55, is one who will have to forever live with the emotional
pain and suffering inflicted by the TWA disaster. Feeney, a native of Dowra,
Co. Leitrim who is employed in TWA's ramp service department at Kennedy
Airport, lost his Co. Roscommon-born wife, Vera, and his only child,
17-year-old honor student Deirdre Mairead. Using discount tickets that John
received as an employee perk from TWA, mother and daughter made the
trans-Atlantic journey to Paris every year en route to their final destination,
the small village of Kilmore, in Roscommon, to visit with Vera's parents,
81-year-old Greta and 80-year-old Jimmy Glancy.

This year's holiday was supposed to be an extra-special one. Last month,
Deirdre graduated with honors from Kellenberg Memorial High School in
Uniondale, about a 15 minute drive from the family home in New Hyde Park. Vera
and Deirdre were planning on having a grand old time for themselves in the
French capital to celebrate Deirdre's full scholarship to Mount Saint Vincent
College in the Bronx, where she planned on pursuing nursing studies and
indulging in her favorite sport, soccer.

"They were so close, the two of them," recalled John Feeney. "It was
always a mother/daughter trip. They both looked so forward to it."

"EVERYONE has been great and very supportive," says Feeney, a slightly
built, red-headed gentleman of 55. His voice is soft and his words come slowly,
but his quiet dignity and bravery in the face of what must be unbearable
suffering is truly inspirational. It's no wonder at all that he and Vera -- who
is an old friend of my family -- produced a smashing daughter like Deirdre.

We speak for a few moments in Deirdre's room in the upstairs of the cozy
house. Adorned with pictures of her idols -- the Irish soccer team, the New
York Rangers, the legendary thoroughbred Secretariat, the rock group Oasis --
one corner is jammed with trophies earned through her achievements on the
soccer field. Deirdre was not only a stellar athlete, but also a champion Irish
stepdancer.

Vera and John met "many years ago," he says, in Manhattan at one of the
Irish dance halls. Prior to her marriage nearly 20 years ago, Vera worked as a
house-keeper on Long Island and attended hairdressing school at night. Once
Deirdre came along, though, she pretty much reverted to being a full-time wife
and mother.

While the Feeneys established a life and home for themselves in America,
Ireland never strayed far from their thoughts -- Deirdre took a special liking
to her parents' homeland, and looked forward to her annual summer visits.

"I used to make the trip with them," says John, "when my parents were
alive. But it wasn't the same for me once they died -- I didn't feel the need
to go as often."

But Vera did. By all accounts she was a supremely devoted daughter, and
her elderly parents in Kilmore have been left dumbstruck by last week's
disaster.

"We were going to have a really good time," Greta Glancy told Ireland's
Star newspaper. "I am heartbroken. I think I will never get over it."

WEDNESDAY, July 17 was a typical day for the Feeney family. The ladies
were busy making last minute arrangements for their three-week holiday, and
John was, as usual, working. Vera and Deirdre took a cab to Kennedy that
evening to spare John from making the trip. They left plenty of food in the
fridge prior to their departure; Vera even cooked a roast to ensure her husband
would have at least some proper nourishment during the time she was away.

Vera's niece, Mary Cox, was also in the middle of her normal Wednesday
routine. Mary, a native of Co. Longford who's been in New York for the past 10
years, was home in Queens watching the TNT country music network. A newsflash
sometime after 8:30 p.m. warned that a plane was missing over Long Island. As
bits of information continued to filter out, a sickening feeling came over her.

"Deep down I knew it was bad," said Mary. "I was nearly 100% sure that
Vera was on that flight, even though she had talked about going out the night
before. But they knew they'd get out on the Wednesday because the flight wasn't
as full."

Mary then phoned Patricia and Brian O'Hara, the Feeney family's closest
friends and neighbors in New Hyde Park. She dispensed the shocking news, and it
was left to them to perform what had to be one of the hardest chores the
O'Haras have ever performed -- informing John of the tragedy.

"John was in bed at the time," recalls Patricia, a native of Birmingham,
England. "We told him that there had been an accident and he didn't quite
understand because he was still in a deep sleep." Patricia and Mary then went
to Kennedy to await further news, while Brian remained with John. At Kennedy,
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani soon confirmed what they knew to be fact
-- Deirdre and Vera were definitely passengers aboard the flight.

"Their names were right at the top of the list because they always flew
first class," says Mary. "I still can't believe it."

Patricia and Mary remained at Kennedy until Saturday. Deirdre was one of
the first of the bodies to be identified -- her high school ring from
Kellenberg was key. Vera has yet to be found.

WHY do bad things happen to good people? It's a question that's been
asked time and again, and of course there are never any answers. John Feeney,
his family and friends most definitely qualify as "good" people -- salt of the
earth, really.

Since last week's horrific events, Feeney has been surrounded by a loving
support system which is helping him to face his darkest hours. One of 10
children, he has three sisters living in Chicago who rushed to his side after
hearing the news; two sisters in Manhattan and one in the Catskills who did
ditto. Mary Cox has also been a constant fixture at her uncle's side, as have
Feeney's closest friends and neighbors, the O'Haras. In between, good wishes
have come from a countless number of concerned friends.

Once Vera's body is positively identified, her eight brothers and sisters
in Ireland plan on traveling immediately to New York for the burials.

"It really hasn't hit us yet," said Brian O'Hara. "We just want to be
able to help in any way we can. The Feeneys and ourselves were inseparable." So
much so that the families were planning a vacation together as soon as Deirdre
and Vera returned.

"They were the nicest people you could ever meet," added Patricia. "It's
impossible to make sense of it."

John pauses for a while when asked how he's bearing up. "I feel sad, very
sad," he says. "Maybe it's not as bad now, but I think later it will be. I try
to keep exercising and keep moving.

"You know, they always had dinner on the table when I came home, and
always had breakfast on the table. They were great, the two of them."

He has absolutely nothing bad to say about the efforts to rescue the
victims, unlike some of the grieving family members waiting to bury their loved
ones. "I don't know how much time it's supposed to take, just so long as it's
done."

The Feeneys were preparing to attend Mass on Tuesday evening at Notre
Dame Church in New Hyde Park. They planned on praying for Vera's body to be
recovered, and for strength to deal with the trying days and weeks that
undoubtedly lie ahead.

Article copyright Irish Tribune.

Re: Flight 800

Posted by suvenR

But, they were at the airport sitting at the bar looking out the window when it happened. He and his friend SWEAR that they saw something flying up to the plane and hitting it and then the plane going down.

Re: Flight 800

Posted by Ricki

Posted by suvenR

But, they were at the airport sitting at the bar looking out the window when it happened. He and his friend SWEAR that they saw something flying up to the plane and hitting it and then the plane going down.

Maybe this was another flight? 800 exploded 45 minutes into the flight over the Hamptons.

Re: Flight 800

Posted by suvenR

Posted by Ricki

Posted by suvenR

But, they were at the airport sitting at the bar looking out the window when it happened. He and his friend SWEAR that they saw something flying up to the plane and hitting it and then the plane going down.

Maybe this was another flight? 800 exploded 45 minutes into the flight over the Hamptons.

He and his friend have sworn since that night that they saw something flying up toward the plane and then seeing the plane come down. To this day, they say they are 100% sure about what they saw.

Re: Flight 800

Posted by evenedan

Posted by suvenR

Posted by Ricki

Posted by suvenR

But, they were at the airport sitting at the bar looking out the window when it happened. He and his friend SWEAR that they saw something flying up to the plane and hitting it and then the plane going down.

Maybe this was another flight? 800 exploded 45 minutes into the flight over the Hamptons.

He and his friend have sworn since that night that they saw something flying up toward the plane and then seeing the plane come down. To this day, they say they are 100% sure about what they saw.

I think they must have had too much to drink at the bar because it's impossible.

Message edited 7/16/2006 7:53:31 PM.

Re: Flight 800

I have heard that people out east saw things going up. But I saw it explained on Discovery that the way the plane broke in half that was most likely what they were seeing.


Of course...It would not shock me if it wasn't the fuel tank!

Re: Flight 800

I just watched the special on CNN "no survivors"