On this day, September 11, we are once again reminded of the deep loss and tragedy that befell our nation 23 years ago. For many of us, it’s not just about the national grief. It’s also about the personal connections that bind us to that day. Every 9/11, I wake up and think of all of the innocent lives lost. And I think about Norma Cruz Khan.
Remembering Norma Cruz Khan
I first met Norma in 1999, when we worked at Association Management Group in Northern Virginia, about 10 minutes west of the Pentagon. When we met, neither one of us could have anticipated that she'd be a hero one day. I mean, how could we? And why would we?
Norma was amazing in so many ways. I think I appreciate her more every year. I mean, she was a single mom managing the demands of full-time work and motherhood, with a smile. And she was fun, even in a boring workplace.
"Norma, you brightened each of our days at Association Management Group with your smile and your laughter. I could use that on this appropriately rainy day in Washington," one of our friends, Rob Chenault, wrote a few years back, on her online obituary.
Norma had one of those stand-out-in-a-crowd magnetic personalities. And she got it. You know how some people just don’t “get it”? Well, Norma wasn’t one of those. She was a savvy and sassy New Yorker working in Washington, D.C. It was the perfect combo, if you ask me.
Did I mention that she was a proud “NewYorican”? It was a term that had totally escaped me. “I’m a Puerto Rican from New York. ... a NewYorican,” she explained. We laughed. I laughed because it was so clever, and Norma laughed at me for not knowing it.
A year later, Norma became part of the tragedy we now observe annually.
That Fateful Day
Norma, 45 years old at the time, was on American Airlines Flight 77, the plane that crashed into the Pentagon that fateful morning. On September 12, her friends and co-workers learned she was one of the victims. The news hit us like a punch to the gut.
One of our mutual friends told me that Norma had bumped her flight to the morning of September 11 so she could share breakfast with her son, Imran, who was 13 at the time. She didn’t want to leave for her business trip that week, but duty called. It’s a decision that would place her in the middle of history’s darkest moment.
On September 11, about three of us went to the top floor of the work parking lot, to get a better view of the smoke coming from the plane crash at the Pentagon. It was so quiet. Everything had been quickly shut down. And the thick black smoke just kept going up, for hours after the crash. Of course, as we stood there looking, none of us knew Norma had been part of it.
The Aftermath of 9/11
In the aftermath, the world wrestled with political discussions and debates. The war that followed, the search for those responsible, and the ongoing fight for justice are things we remember from the years that followed.
But for those of us who knew Norma, the loss feels personal and raw every year. This year feels especially heavy, as if time hasn’t dulled the pain.
Norma Cruz Khan was a victim, a friend, a mother, and a joyful soul who touched everyone she met. Today, like every September 11, I remember her fondly and miss her dearly.
Norma’s Bench at the Pentagon
The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial is a new monument in Arlington, Virginia, honoring the 184 people who lost their lives during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the Pentagon. The monument commemorates both the 59 passengers, including Norma Kahn, and crew aboard American Airlines Flight 77 and the 125 military personnel and civilians inside the Pentagon who were killed when the plane was deliberately crashed into the building.
The memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2008, and spans 2 acres. It features 184 illuminated benches, each dedicated to a specific victim, arranged by their year of birth. The benches face in two directions: those for the victims on the plane face the sky, while those for the Pentagon victims face the building.
Each bench sits above a small reflecting pool, and the victims' names are inscribed on them. The Pentagon Memorial draws visitors from around the world to honor the victims and reflect on the events of 9/11. You can visit ‘Norma’s bench,’ and the others, year round. There’s a map online, with details of every victim’s life and the location of their bench, on the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial’s website. I hope to go there one day, to honor Norma's memory and pay my respects to woman, the NewYorican, the mom, who touched so many lives, including my own. She will never be forgotten.
