Judee Karchmer Norgaard, better known to us as Needle Deeva kindly requested to be our guest blogger today… this is exactly as she wrote it, no changes, no editing…the story of Angelo, the gatekeeper at Newark

Ten years ago today, the lives of all of us were changed forever. Some of us remain fearful that the senario of that day will be repeated. We are Americans, and we are better than that. For those lost that day, a lingering fear does not honor them or their families. They deserve to be honored and today we need to thank the “gatekeepers”. Those trusted men and women who have kept us safe for the last 10 years. We need to be thankful for these people today, and every day. Yes, this is coming out of my mouth – a woman who is made to walk barefoot on the cold marble floors of DIA in the dark of early morning because some nut job made a bomb out of his ratty looking tennis shoes, and could not even get them to light? My view of this was altered June 3rd, 2011, at Newark International Airport, New Jersey.

As I approach the gate area, I notice that there is only one agent in this small area. He beckons me to enter, I place my items in the trays, fold my jacket on the belt, and present my identification to the agent. He is very pleasant, and asks me if I could wait a minute. It’s okay – a plaque on the wall has caught my attention, and I wander a few feet to take a look while another agent enters the area, evidently fresh from lunch, and they begin the process of trading keys and other TSA kind of stuff.

I am startled at what I begin to read – it is the passenger manifest of American flight 93, dated September 11th, 2001. The name of each passenger that needs to be remembered is on that list, three are missing. Their names are not to be remembered, they were the predators of that day. Their remains are still in Pennsylvania, their families don’t even want them. The county coroner has been entrusted with the evil ashes.

My mind is racing as I remember that day, and the succession of the planes and their departure airports. This was American Air’s pilot Jason Dahl’s plane. This must be the place it happened. The agent was suddenly beside me with my belongings and talking softly – asking me if I knew the story. What person in this country does not know this story? But suddenly, I realize that this guy has way more to tell me than my flight is on time – way more.

It seems that Angelo, our TSA agent, was there that day. He worked for American Airlines, in this gate. According to the story, it was HIS gate, he worked there for 20 years. He was in charge, responsible for each and every passenger that passed through that area on his shift. He loved his job, he loved his passengers, and he loved each and every flight crew that came through HIS gates. He was responsible for those people, he knew them by name and what happened next, on that day, would profoundly change our lives forever.

The plane was at the gate, the pre-flight check was complete, and Angelo answered the call from the cockpit advising him to board the passengers. American boards their passengers by row, and Angelo started the call. In about 6 minutes they were all on board, but the manifest was missing 3 passengers, Angelo made the decision to give them a minute then order the doors closed. Another call from the flight deck – they needed to go. As Angelo looked up from the podium, hanging up the phone he, in his own words, “saw the faces of evil” – there stood the missing passengers – he described them as the coldest, most disdain filled 6 eyes he had ever encountered – he prayed that he would smell alcohol on their lips – he did not. He asked for their boarding documents, they fumbled to produce them, the deal was sealed. They were passengers on that plane, he scanned the computer to check if they had checked luggage – they had not. Not a crime or a warning in 2001, but in Angelos word at American, there was probably not an explosive device – he watched them walk down the jet way. He expressed to me his disappointment at having no more ammunition to deny boarding on a “feeling” and frustration that he could not keep them off the plane. American, and all airlines at that time would probably have been sued by three legitimate men late for their work day somewhere across the country. His stomach was queezy, and slowly he closed and locked the jet way door. He could hear the tug push the plane out of the gate. They taxied down the runway – the one that takes you south down the Veranzano Straights, past the statue of Lady Liberty – a runway that is only used for incoming traffic today, and not coming up the water way by the statue. As that plane lifted off the ground, a stunned group of American Airlines passengers and employees watched as the Boston bound planes hit the World Trade Center towers, plainly in view of the concourse at Newark. America learned the awful truth of those 19 men boarding planes all over the eastern air corridor that day. They were certainly not going to be late for work if they had been denied boarding…this was their work that day.

The days that followed were riveting – Angelo was hospitalized with heart trouble. President Bush organized the Department of Homeland Security and they created the TSA. After his recovery, Angelo returned to his post with American. Like all of us, something changed, and for him, it was not going to work. Angelo made a decision. He was eligible for a pension from American – he didn’t feel competent to return to work, his hands were tied, he had let people down.

He read everything he could, and found that the new TSA needed people at Newark, he interviewed, he got a job, not any job, but the job at the American terminal at Newark. Meeting this man, listening to his story, and putting it in perspective has been a life altering experience for me. Living in the middle of the country, we were somewhat insulated from the reality, but certainly not from the media coverage.

Those gates today, belong to Southwest Airlines, Angelo had the plaque made and convinced the TSA that those people needed to be honored in that place. It’s a very quiet little piece of brass – one does not advertise on government property. Fortunately, for conversation and survivors, they made an exception for Angelo. His is not an easy job. He looks at that door to the jetway at every angle of that area. He will never forget. It’s his job, he’s responsible.