911 Flights 'Strangely Silent'
About Irregularities &
Inconsistencies Of
Official Government Story
Except for Ellen Mariani, whose husband was reported on Flight 175, others who lost relatives on the airplanes have kept quiet in stark contrast to those who lost loved ones at Ground Zero. But when those from the 'airplane community' talk like Linda Gay and Frank Calley, who respectively had family members on Flight 11 and 77, they accept the government 9/11 story hook, line and sinker.
By Greg Szymanski
11-18-5
Linda Gay believes her husband died in the fiery crash on Flight 11, believes the government conducted a fair investigation and blames the entire event on President Clinton who had eight years to catch Osama bin laden but failed.
Gay lost her husband, Peter, 54, a vice president of Raytheon Co. on 9/11. Four years later, she still lives in Tewksbury, Mass., claiming as she did right after the tragic event, she is satisfied with her government's efforts at getting at the truth behind 9/11, satisfied with the money she received from the victim's compensation fund and satisfied with not pursuing her husband's death any further.
"I guess I am different than most people, but I just don't believe in suing the airlines or the government over something they couldn't control," said Gay this week in a rare conversation this week from her home in Tewksbury, as she reflected back about the death of her husband, a top executive with a defense technology company doing business with the Pentagon.
"Looking back, one thing strange was that the night before the flight and the early morning on 9/11, Peter seemed more reluctant than usual to leave for California on business like he did every Tuesday for the last year.
"He was the type that didn't like to be away from home, but on 9/11 he seemed more apprehensive about leaving than usual. The last thing we said was the normal goodbyes before he took the limousine and that was it. I never saw him again and had it confirmed he was on Flight 11 late in the afternoon at 2p.m. when American Airlines called."
Giving a rare interview, Gay's belief in the official 9/11 story and her reluctance to speak out is a pattern seen among many of the families of those who died on the four doomed airliners.
In fact, save Ellen Mariani, who lost her husband on Flight 175, the rest of the jetliner family community has never publicly questioned the government's official 9/11 story and has pretty much stayed quiet in the background, out of the public eye.
What makes this surprising, if not downright suspicious, is that it is in stark contrast to the majority of family members who lost loved ones at Ground Zero, a group that has hundreds of outspoken critics of the government's official story, a group unafraid to publicly blame the Bush administration for being the real culprits behind 9/11.
For example, there are literally hundreds of survivors and family members from Ground Zero who protest the government regularly, saying Bush and the neo-cons are hiding the truth about 9/11 to protect their own skin.
But in stark contrast only Mariani has gone public with her disgust of the government from the airline group, a fact that shouldn't be ignored when trying to unweave the complex web of deceit woven by the neo-con culprits behind 9/11.
Take, for example, the across the board silence from the airline family community who has never really spoken out about obvious irregularities in the flights themselves, NORAD's slow response, flight manifest irregularities and, basically, the total lack of a serious investigation regarding their missing relative.
If we want to believe Gay, the answer is simple: total trust in the government and the system. But if we want to look farther, we may find the silence among the flight family community as the tip of the iceberg behind the entire 9/11 mystery.
Take, for example, the simple law of averages. Doesn't it make sense that at least a handful out of the approximately 261 who died on the planes would have had a few family members as outspoken critics?
But besides this strange veil of silence blanketing the entire group, there are many other stranger things concerning the airline families, a series of unexplainable facts and occurrences that draws attention to what may be the 'Achilles heel' of the 9/11 mystery if, that is, investigators dig deep enough.
First, the Arctic Beacon has tried to contact at least 10 airline family members besides Gay, all who have repeatedly refused to answer the telephone or return emails. Julie Sweeney, whose husband, Brian, a former Navy F-14 pilot on Flight 175 who made two calls prior to the plane supposedly hitting the South Tower, said she was too busy to talk, acting apprehensive and wondering how the Arctic Beacon got her phone number.
After making an phone appointment the next day, Sweeney at the time of this publication failed to answer the phone at least 10 times, a sign she no longer wanted to speak after having time to reflect on the situation.
In contrast, family members who experienced Ground Zero losses have been more than happy to speak, as over a hundred family members of Ground Zero victims have been contacted by the Arctic Beacon, and even more by pother publications, with an overwhelming majority having no problem to talk openly about their loss and their feelings about the 9/11 investigation.
Why the difference? There are no polls or experts to figure this out, but one simple explanation is the flight families are hiding something. Although this may be jumping to conclusions, what other conclusion can be drawn when nobody wants to talk?
Besides these speculations, it also should be noted that several psychologists and psychiatrists contacted said the typical reaction to a loss of a loved one in a situation like 9/11 is to strip all allegiance to state, country and employer, as the only motivation left for those who have paid the ultimate price is getting at the truth and nothing but the truth.
However, strangely, the reaction by the 9/11 airline community, less Mariani, is just the opposite. Let's look at some of the glaring oddities about the airplane family members and why the government's story should have at least sparked some doubt among them:
Remember Gay and those who remained silent, as the law construes silence as consent, believe or give the appearance to believe the official government story hook, line and sinker, despite the existence of credible evidence Flight 11 and 77 never even existed and, for all intents and purposes, may very well have been only 'phantom flights.'
According to Bureau of Traffic Safety (BTS) statistics both flights officially never took- off on 9/11, as well as showing no elapsed run-way time, wheels-off time and taxi-out time. However, Flights 11 and 77 on both 9/10 and 9/12 had all the recorded data properly logged.
Why the discrepancy? No one has ever given an official explanation for the BTS missing flight data, even though it is well known that airports are extremely meticulous about recording accurate BTS data for each and every flight in and out of its airport for liability purposes.
But, more importantly, if this is a clear indication Flight 11 and 77 were only 'phantom flights" and never existed, why then wouldn't some of the family members publicly voice their concerns?
Four years after 9/11, the answer still remains a guarded mystery, but then there is a lot of mysterious evidence regarding the flights, or the absence thereof, which has never been answered.
For example, why hasn't the government turned over airport surveillance tapes, readily available for all flights, but suspiciously unavailable for all of the four doomed flights on 9/11? Again, why hasn't there been a public outcry by the 9/11 family airplane community when obvious information regarding their loved ones is being withheld?
This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg: Start with the obvious "pod" hanging from the underbelly of the airplane that struck the South Tower, the airplane purported by the government to be Flight 175.
However, after looking at the video footage taken by CNN, pictures on Newsweek magazine and other video tapes, it's obvious what hit the South Tower wasn't Flight 175, but actually a military "drone" made to look like it. And it should be noted that when United Airlines was asked to respond about the strange existence of the "pod" on the airliner's underbelly, officials didn't deny its existence but simply refused to answer, citing national security as an excuse.
But, again a major question is why with this glaring evidence staring the whole world in the face, hasn't the real people with a vested interest and loss - the airline family members -- demanded a public investigation?
Why? For the same reason they haven't, excluding perhaps Mariani, demanded an investigation into the BTS records, the missing surveillance tapes, NORAD's pitiful response time, unsubstantiated autopsy reports, miraculous evidence and personal belongings recovered from the wreckage and glaring inconsistencies concerning the actual flight lists, not to mention the fact that seven of the 19 hijackers are reportedly alive, well and living abroad.
However, specifically concerning the recovery of 'miraculous evidence' and discrepancies in the flight lists, one of the most interesting cases is that of Waleed Iskandar, purported to be a passenger on Flight 11.
As unbelievable as it sounds, Iskandar's parents were notified by the Ground Zero Recovery Team a year after 9/11 that they found the unscathed Wells Fargo ATM card of their son, who allegedly perished on the doomed flight.
After being notified of the miraculous find, Joseph and Samia Iskandar were sent their son's bank card within days, noting it was in "perfect condition," but never really publicly questioned the late timing of the incredible find or the suspicious nature of a flimsy ATM card surviving such a towering inferno.
What's even more suspicious is that their son, a 34-year-old Harvard graduate, was never even listed as a passenger on Flight 11, either on the original manifest or on the official list provided by American Airlines, even though every reference to him afterwards on internet memorials or in newspaper accounts lists him as a Flight 11 passenger.
One would think, Iskandar's family would have publicly questioned the numerous errors and discrepancies concerning Flight 11 and, of course, the official passenger list which never listed their son. But instead they have remained silent, his parents even failing to return over 25 messages left and emails sent over a two-week period concerning these very important issues.
"It's only my opinion but if that was my son, I'd be raising holy hell about the crazy government investigation and the information withheld about Flight 11," said one 9/11 family member who lost a loved one, but wanted to remain anonymous.
Besides the strange silence from the Iskandar's, the miraculous recovery of Flight 77 passenger, Suzanne Calley's, California ID card, driver's license and wedding ring, all found in perfect condition at the Pentagon, has also been accepted without questions asked by her surviving husband, Frank. Despite numerous questions regarding Flight 77 and the Pentagon crash, Calley's husband believes the government has done its level best when it came to the handling of his wife's case, his wife's military autopsy and subsequent government investigation into the Pentagon crash.
And it's hard to believe Calley and the other Flight 77 family members haven't been screaming from the rafters, demanding justice after looking at the facts of the secret investigation and the glaring inconsistencies concerning the military autopsy performed under the cloak of darkness.
But, again, Calley and the others seem to be in 100 percent agreement with the Pentagon since none of them have so much as whispered criticism against a government investigation lacking obvious credibility.
To make the point clear, here is exactly what Calley had to say about the Pentagon investigation and a run-down of the discrepancies in the Pentagon autopsy of the alleged Flight 77 victims as reported last week in the Arctic Beacon:
As told to another family member who lost a loved one in 9/11, Calley said:
"They told me they found her remains, but I decided not to look. The Pentagon officials also said the remains of at least 19 others on board the plane were also identified by a military medical group.
"Immediately after the crash, I was assigned a personal liaison who handled my case. He was cooperative and helpful and I decided I didn't want to see Suzanne's remains."
What's strange about the autopsy investigation is that none of the family members, including Calley, have demanded an independent investigation, relying solely on government medical reporting as advised by the Pentagon liaisons, a personal military attaché conveniently provided for each individual family.
The question has to be asked why would the military go to such extremes as to provide personal attachés unless they wanted to hide manipulate and control what should have been an independent crime scene investigation.
And, even stranger, questions like this should have been asked and independent investigations demanded by family members, all collectively as a group remaining strangely silent when it is the natural reaction of someone who loses a loved one, to travel to the ends of the earth to get at the truth.
Although the government medical team played up the fact it undertook the most comprehensive autopsy in medical history, utilizing DNA and dental records, none of the family members of those who allegedly died on 9/11, like Calley, can now ever be 100 percent sure of the results since the government controlled the autopsy, an independent investigation never being allowed and in the case of Calley, the remains of his wife's body has subsequently been cremated.
"Even though it's four years after 9/11, I still understand that family members can still be grieving. But wouldn't they want positive independent DNA testing done to prove their loved ones actually died in the crash," said on family member who lost a loved one 9/11 but wanted to remain anonymous.
"I never received any remains or evidence of the person I lost on 9/11, but if there were any remains, I surely would have had them independently tested instead of relying on the word of the government.
And that's exactly what transpired in the strange and unexplainable autopsy investigation of the Flight 77 passengers, conducted essentially in the cover of darkness by the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP).
And after reading the report, it is filled with so many inconsistencies and generalities that it makes one wonder why Calley and the other family members - not a single one of them - ever insisted on independent DNA proof, matching the remains held by the government with that of their loved ones.
In fact, the AFIP in its report dated November 16, 2001, incredibly said it positively identified nearly all the bodies, including the Flight 77 passengers, a medical feat which several medical experts considered miraculous if not, impossible, considering the short amount of time and the amount of devastation at the crime scene.
Remember that Calley was told by his private Pentagon attaché that 19 passengers were positively identified from Flight 77, but the AFIP reports that184 of the 189 who died at the scene, including all but one of the airplane passengers, were positively identified within about two months.
But, to make matters worse, even these numbers have been seriously questioned by an independent medical investigator named Thomas R. Olmsted, M.D., who made a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in order to get to the bottom of what he calls a staged and phony government autopsy report in order to cover up for "monsters who planned this crime."
Dr. Olmsted said about the AFIP autopsy:
"A list of names on a piece of paper is not evidence, but an autopsy by a pathologist, is. I undertook by FOIA request to get the autopsy list. Guess what? Still no Arabs on the list. It is my opinion that the monsters who planned this crime made a mistake by not including Arabic names on the original list to make the ruse seem more believable.
"When airline disasters occur, airlines will routinely provide a manifest list for anxious families. You may have noticed that even before Sep 11th, that airlines are pretty meticulous about getting an accurate headcount before takeoff. It seems very unlikely to me, that five Arabs sneaked onto a flight with weapons."
Dr. Olmsted then calls attention to the blatant discrepancy of the names on the airline passenger manifest and the names provided by the official Pentagon autopsy report, showing also that three names were on the autopsy that never even were listed as passengers on the airplane, an obvious indication of foul play never explained by the Pentagon.
Further Dr.Olmsted found through his FOIA request that although the medical examiners positively all of the passengers, they did not identify any of the Arab hijackers onboard, who were also not listed on the original flight manifest.
"The AFIP suggest these numbers; 189 killed, 125 worked at the Pentagon and 64 were passengers on the plane. The AA list only had 56 and the list just obtained has 58. They did not explain how they were able to tell "victims" bodies from "hijacker" bodies," said Dr. Olmsted. "In fact, from the beginning no explanation has been given for the extra five suggested in news reports except that the FBI showed us the pictures to make up the difference, and that makes it so.
"No Arabs wound up on the morgue slab; however, three additional people not listed by American Airline sneaked in. I have seen no explanation for these extras (on the autopsy list but not listed as passengers.) I did give American the opportunity to "revise" their original list, but they have not responded. The new names are: Robert Ploger, Zandra Ploger, and Sandra Teague.
"The AFIP claims that the only "passenger" body that they were not able to identify is the toddler, Dana Falkenberg, whose parents and young sister are on the list of those identified. The satanic masterminds behind this caper may be feeling pretty smug about the perfect crime, but they have left a raft of clues tying these unfortunates together."
Editor's Note: Of course, not all family members of the airline victims have been contacted. If there exists anyone who disagrees with the official 9/11story or wants to comment about this article, the Arctic Beacon requests you contact our office so that your story and opinions can be heard.
Greg Szymanski is an independent investigative journalist.
