Colorado Pilot Of Downed Airliner Remembered
Dahl Will Be Remembered As Hero
POSTED: 5:54 p.m. MDT September 19, 2001
UPDATED: 6:18 p.m. MDT September 19, 2001
LITTLETON, Colo. -- A United Airlines pilot killed in last week's terrorist attacks was remembered Wednesday as a hero who sacrificed his life to save others.
About 1,500 friends and relatives packed the West Bowles
Community Church Wednesday for a memorial service for Jason Dahl (pictured, right),
43, who died when United Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
"The captain and other airline staff and some very brave
passengers sacrificed their lives to save hundreds, if not
thousands of others," Owens said at the service. "Their heroism
is truly inspiring. People will always love and remember him for
what he did."
Dahl's picture and a large model of a United Airlines plane
replaced a coffin at the front of the church. Family members
including Dahl's wife, Sandy; children Matt, 15; and Jennifer, 22,
and mother, Mildred, were seated in the front pews.
"My dad was the best doggone pilot, but, more than that, he was a father," Matt Dahl told the congregation.
Fellow pilots remembered Dahl as a mentor who greeted his
friends with a big smile and no worries. They said Dahl was always
willing to lend a hand, even with home repairs.
In addition to Dahl, his co-pilot, five crew members and 38
passengers aboard the Boeing 757 also died in the Sept. 11 crash.
Two airlines struck the World Trade Center and a third hit the
Pentagon in the series of attacks.
About 1,500 friends and relatives packed the West Bowles
Community Church Wednesday for a memorial service for Jason Dahl (pictured, right),
43, who died when United Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
"The captain and other airline staff and some very brave
passengers sacrificed their lives to save hundreds, if not
thousands of others," Owens said at the service. "Their heroism
is truly inspiring. People will always love and remember him for
what he did."
Dahl's picture and a large model of a United Airlines plane
replaced a coffin at the front of the church. Family members
including Dahl's wife, Sandy; children Matt, 15; and Jennifer, 22,
and mother, Mildred, were seated in the front pews.
"My dad was the best doggone pilot, but, more than that, he was a father," Matt Dahl told the congregation.
Fellow pilots remembered Dahl as a mentor who greeted his
friends with a big smile and no worries. They said Dahl was always
willing to lend a hand, even with home repairs.
In addition to Dahl, his co-pilot, five crew members and 38
passengers aboard the Boeing 757 also died in the Sept. 11 crash.
Two airlines struck the World Trade Center and a third hit the
Pentagon in the series of attacks.
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
