Untold story of two Vietnamese victims of 9/11

Among the nearly 3,000 victims of the horrific terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, few people know that there are Vietnamese names engraved on stone tablets around the Memorial Lake in New York.

In the memories of his family and friends, Nguyen Ngoc Khang was a gentle, kind, devoted person who "strangely inspired every life he met in his life".

Nguyen Ngoc Khang (1960-2001) was born and raised with his parents and eight siblings in South Vietnam. Khang's father was a former employee of the US Information Service in Saigon and came to the US in 1975. In 1981, Khang was sponsored to come and the whole family reunited in the US.

Fateful day: husband and wife 6 km apart

After graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, Khang worked for the Defense Information Systems Agency, then as a systems administrator at the Pentagon's Naval Command Center.

“I am a shy person, but Khang is always cheerful, active and loves life. When attending weddings, he sings for the bride and groom, sometimes even pulling me up to sing with him. When An was only 3 years old, he also pulled his son up to sing. He always plays and sings when he has free time, and is very optimistic,” shared his wife, Ho Nguyen Anh Tu.

According to information on the Pentagon's September 11, 2001 Victim Profile, Nguyen Ngoc Khang lives in Fairfax, Virginia, USA. Khang worked for the Defense Information Systems Agency, then worked as a system administrator at the Pentagon's Naval Command Center for 13 years. Photo: Washington Post

Ms. Tu came to the US in 1987 and was friends with Mr. Khang’s younger sister. They got married on July 4, 1993. Both husband and wife worked for the Pentagon. On the fateful day of September 11, 2001, Mr. Khang was working inside the office, while she was outside, about 6 km away.

While at work, she received news of the terrorist attacks: American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 were hijacked and crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center; another American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon. All defense agencies immediately sent their employees home. She called him many times but couldn't get through.

“When I got home, I continued to call him but couldn’t get through. I still thought he was okay and might just be stuck in traffic. At 5 p.m. on September 11, I saw the TV showing the collapsed part of the Pentagon and heard the announcement that many people had died in the Navy Department, where Khang worked, so I asked my father to take me to all the hospitals to look for him. His name wasn’t on the patient list. That night, I couldn’t sleep, my hands and feet were shaking from the cold, even though it was only the beginning of September,” she said.

On the night of September 11, 2001, the Pentagon kept calling her, saying that there were still no results. On the morning of September 12, she went to the scene but could not enter because the smoke was still thick. “At first, I still hoped that Khang was still trapped somewhere, waiting for someone to rescue him. But when I saw the scene, I knew there was no hope left. My body seemed paralyzed. Khang's name was put on the Pentagon's missing list,” she said.

At 4 p.m. on September 12, a five-person delegation from the Pentagon knocked on her door. “I remember there was a colonel, a lieutenant, a priest, and two others. They drove his car home. Little An, who was 4 years old at the time, was very happy to see her father's car coming home. She jumped in, ran to the car, and pressed her face against the window to look for her father. After that, every day she sat by the window waiting for her father to come home.

Nguyen Ngoc Khang's name is engraved on the stone tablet surrounding the National Memorial lake along with nearly 3,000 other victims of the horrific terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. Photo: Nyclips

My birthday is September 9, but that year we didn’t celebrate it on the right day because we were about to move to a new house. We planned to celebrate my birthday and invite relatives and friends to the housewarming party. But unexpectedly...”, she choked up.

An, son of Nguyen Ngoc Khang, stands outside the Pentagon in 2001. Photo: Family provided

Waiting for a miracle

A few days later, the Pentagon invited Khang’s parents to come and take DNA samples to identify the bodies, but she still waited for the results every day. “Every day there were reports of whose bodies had been found. Even though I knew for sure there would be no more miracles, I still waited and hoped until there was official information about Khang.”

One day in late September, the bad news was finally confirmed. “The Pentagon staff officially called to inform us that he had passed away, but they had only found part of his body. They said they would have to wait a little longer before they could complete the search. However, the family decided to hold his funeral on October 6 and leave his remains at Giac Hoang Pagoda in Washington, DC,” Tu said.

“For a long time after the terrorist attack, I still didn’t know how to tell my son that his father would never return. He was born in America, and although he didn’t know what war was, he lost his father at the age of 4,” she said in pain.

Around Christmas Day 2001, Khang's remains were recovered and buried with 24 other coffins at the foot of the 9/11 Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, near where the family lived.

Scene of the memorial service for Nguyen Ngoc Khang outside the Pentagon. Photo: Family provided

Every year, on September 11 and his birthday on December 19, she and An go to Arlington Cemetery and the memorial at the Pentagon to pray for him.

Even though she is a Buddhist and always lives with compassion and forgiveness, she still finds it difficult to forgive the terrorists who caused the death of her husband and nearly 3,000 other victims.

On May 2, 2011, just one day after President Barack Obama officially confirmed to the entire United States that terrorist leader Osama bin Laden had been killed, she immediately went with her son to the cemetery to burn incense for her husband. Finally, after 10 long years since the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, she could feel at peace.

Female victim from Princeton

Ms. Pham Tu Anh (1959-2001), living in Princeton, New Jersey, working for Fred Alger Management, also died at the World Trade Center when two planes crashed into the twin towers.

Ms. Pham Tu Anh (1959-2001), living in Princeton, New Jersey, working for Fred Alger Management, was killed at the World Trade Center when two planes crashed into the twin towers. Photo: New York Times

According to the New York Times, in Princeton, New Jersey, when building a memorial for residents who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, people asked the victims’ relatives to choose a word to be attached to the monument to describe the deceased’s personality. Mr. Tom Knobel chose the word “determination” for his partner.

Mr. Frank Durham, an investor in a brewery that Ms. Tu Anh wanted to build in the Virgin Islands, commented: “When we first met Tu Anh, we easily realized that she was an active and always cheerful person.”

“Tu Anh was a person of principles since she was young. I remember her as not very tall but with a strong personality, honest and straightforward,” an old friend wrote on the website of the victims’ memorial on September 11, 2010.

In 1975, Pham Tu Anh came to the United States with her family. There, the young girl met Tom Knobel when they both worked for Dow Chemical Company in Texas in the early 1980s. In 1994, the two moved to Princeton City. Three years later, Tu Anh joined Fred Alger Management Company as an analyst.

The couple's life was extremely happy. The joy was multiplied many times when Tu Anh became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter after 10 years of marriage. However, the joy of motherhood was not complete when Tu Anh suddenly passed away, leaving behind her husband and newborn daughter.

September 11, 2001 was a fateful day, as it was only Tu Anh’s second day back to work after a six-month maternity leave. A year later, Tom Knobel brought his daughter back to live in Homer, New York.

Ms. Pham Tu Anh's name is engraved on the Memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Photo: Nyclips

Mr. Tom Knobel proudly said about his wife: "My wife always wanted to help the homeless and refugees because she understands better than anyone what it is like to lose, to fight against cruel fate, to start over again as an immigrant."

“She knew how to balance skillfully and delicately the responsibility of helping families in a way that was appropriate for them in a new land, in a new cultural tradition,” he said of his late wife.

Tom Knobel and his daughter light candles to celebrate her 6th birthday. Photo provided by the family.

According to news.Zing.vn