On March 25, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) acquired an item of extraordinary symbolic gravity, a training aid, and a reminder that the average American is capable of extraordinary valor. With the generous help of many, FLETC received on its campus the airport-to-airplane gateway, “Jetway 17” through which the crew and passengers walked to board Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.
“FLETC is honored to have this piece of 9/11 history at our training delivery point in Glynco, GA,” said FLETC Director Thomas J. Walters. “The jetway will be incorporated into our training operations and serve as a reminder of Flight 93 and the brave souls that gave everything for the safety of others. We must never forget their ultimate sacrifice.”
At FLETC Glynco, Jetway 17 will serve as a powerful tool to immerse students into the training environment. Students will enter a new training complex through the jetway to receive training on aircraft countermeasures. The training aims to prepare graduates to perform the critical role of defending an aircraft while flying armed. Instructors frequently use illustrations from September 11, 2001, to reinforce performance objectives and underscore the importance of the training. Preservation of the jetway will also serve as a memorial to honor the passengers and crew of Flight 93, including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) employee and FLETC graduate Richard J. Guadagno.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, 44 passengers and crew traversed Jetway 17 at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to board Flight 93 for a routine daily scheduled flight. Forty-six minutes after takeoff, four hijackers under the banner of al' Qaeda stormed the aircraft's cockpit and took control of the plane. After learning through phone calls of the other hijackings and suicide attacks on the World Trade Centers, the brave souls of Flight 93 decided to fight back.
The passengers of Flight 93 knew their hand-to-hand struggle with the hijackers could save many lives; they also knew to a near certainty, the lives they saved would not be their own. Their commitment to the greater good resulted in the aircraft crashing into a field near a reclaimed strip mine in Stonycreek Township, near Indian Lake and Shanksville, PA far from the target intended by the hijackers. There is no doubt that the quick and decisive response of the passengers of Flight 93 averted a much more significant loss of life by defeating the plans of the terrorists. All forty passengers, as well as the four terrorists, perished in the crash. Among these passengers was Special Agent Richard J. Guadagno, a FLETC graduate memorialized on the FLETC Graduates Memorial.
Through FLETC's existing partnership with the Terrorist Screening Center, FLETC learned that in conjunction with renovations, EWR was planning to destroy the Jetway 17. FLETC worked with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and FLETC's Office of Chief Counsel to facilitate the transfer of Jetway 17 to FLETC as a gift.
On Tuesday, March 22, 2022, the jetway began the 850-mile journey from EWR to Glynco, GA. Along the journey, many State Police and local law enforcement provided escort for the jetway as it moved through their respective jurisdictions. On Friday, March 25, 2022, a federal, state, and local law enforcement escort delivered Jetway 17 to FLETC.
FLETC Deputy Director William Fallon stated, “We are proud of the entire FLETC team that worked on getting Jetway 17 here to Glynco. In addition, we were all moved to see the law enforcement escort the entire trip south. We appreciate today’s efforts of the Georgia State Patrol, Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, Glynn County Police Department, and the Glynn County Fire Department for bringing the jetway to its new home inside the FLETC gates.”
An agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FLETC provides career-long training to law enforcement professionals to help them fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently. FLETC prepares the federal law enforcement community to safeguard the American people, property, and institutions through strategic partnerships.
The Jetway 17 arrives at FLETC Glynco on March 25, 2022. (FLETC OPA/Gwin)
The Jetway 17 arrives at FLETC Glynco on March 25, 2022. (FLETC OPA/Gwin)
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