"Logan attempts to move beyond terror attacks and remember past"

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

Logan attempts to move beyond terror attacks and remember past
By JENNIFER PETER
The Associated Press


BOSTON (AP) - It's a constant presence at Logan International Airport. The
new security measures, the kudos from national leaders, the shining new
international terminal and the increased number of passengers passing
through its doors each day can't make it go away.

Logan's role in the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001, has become an indelible
part of its legacy.

"They will never be able to jump beyond that shadow," said Robert
Pfaltzgraff, an international security studies expert at the Fletcher School
at Tufts University.

"I think as time goes forward, the shadow will be less visible to people,
but the impact of course is there," he said.

Evidence has shown that the terrorists chose to hijack two planes from
Boston due to its proximity to New York, and not because of lax security.

During the two years since the planes were flown into New York's World Trade
Center, airport officials have been trying to achieve a delicate balance
between distancing Logan from the horrors of that day while giving due honor
and respect to those who died.

The Massachusetts Port Authority has made a concerted effort to become an
aviation security leader, aggressively pursuing new technologies and new
terrorism detection methods. Officials have sometimes chafed at the
airport's constant association with the attacks.

Simultaneously, they have been working toward creating a memorial at the
airport on 1.6 acres near the Hilton Hotel, where many of the victims'
families gathered to receive counseling and information in the days
following the attacks.

The airport will also have a Mass and a memorial service Thursday to honor
the 156 passengers and crewmembers aboard the doomed American Airlines
Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175.

"You can't change history and that's a fact," said Tom Kinton, Logan's
aviation director. "But what we can do is learn from our experience on that
day and the aftermath and do whatever we can to put the necessary security
plan in place."

Logan's memorial plans were initially greeted with dismay by victims'
families, who argued that the airport - the last place their loved ones
touched the earth - is the last place they want to remember them.

The Massachusetts 911 Fund now supports the idea, but has designed its own
memorial for a corner of Boston's Public Garden. There will be a ceremonial
groundbreaking there at 10 a.m. Thursday. The memorial, a first for the
nation's oldest public garden, will feature the names of all 177
Massachusetts citizens who died in the attacks.

Logan remains a difficult place for many of the victims' families to go,
with several refusing to fly through it again, according to attorney
Roderick MacLeish Jr., founder and chairman of the 911 Fund.

"The last time their loves one was alive was at the airport," MacLeish said.
"Every time I go into that airport, I think about what happened that day. I
think there's very few people who don't."

The shadow of the attacks, however, is not deterring passengers from
returning to Logan as the economy improves and the number of flights
continues to increase.

"Did it occur to me before I came here? Sure," said Michelle Robertson of
Chicago, who flew into Logan on Wednesday. "But I didn't think about it
twice."

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