William Penn Life, 1996 (31. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1996-01-01 / 1. szám
Page 4, William Penn Life, January 1996 This monument in Lockerbie, Scotland, marks the location where a part of Flight 103’s fuselage crashed. It also was the place where Beth Ann Johnson's body was recovered. Flight 103 Continued from Page 1 Berlin disco which killed two American servicemen and a Turkish woman. The tale of Flight 103 began at an airport in Malta. Fhimah and Al-Megrahi, who worked for a Libyan intelligence service, also conveniently worked for a security firm at that airport. The two Libyans stole Air Malta luggage tags, tagged an unaccompanied piece of baggage and placed it among the multitude of luggage on the Air Malta flight bound for Frankfurt and, ultimately, London where Flight 103 originated. Despite airline security regulations, the still unaccompanied Samsonite bag was loaded to Frankfurt. The break in the Flight 103 case stemmed from another bombing in September 1989, in which Libyan terrorists were responsible for killing 170 passengers aboard a French aircraft bound from the Congo to Chad as it flew over Nigeria. For months the Scots combed 845 square miles on their hands and knees, looking for any shred of evidence. Discovered were two fingernail-sized fragments from electronic circuit boards and a tiny swatch of clothing traced to a Maltese boutique, all pointing to a Libyan conspiracy. The fragments were identical to the ones found in the French disaster. Had it not been for the 25-minute delay that Beth and her fellow passengers experienced at Heathrow, the jumbo jet would have been swallowed by the frigid waters of the Atlantic and, along with it, any hope of solving the mystery. The Johnsons journeyed to Lockerbie to claim their daughter’s body and belongings. They also viewed the devastation wrought on the tiny village of about 3,300. Remembrances Since then, they have befriended many of the townsfolk and speak warmly of them. One Lockerbie resident in particular, the Rev. Patrick Keegans, a Catholic priest whose home was miraculously spared by a section of the jet’s fuselage, has comforted the Johnsons, as well as other victims’ families, since the bombing. The tragedy in Lockerbie has had its rippling affect upon many. Six Scottish police officers working on the case had to retire early. "They couldn’t handle it anymore,” Glenn said, describing the emotional trauma these men experienced. Carole said the residents of Lockerbie WPA member Beth Ann Johnson: an ambassador of goodwill; a natural leader. were so affected by the tragedy that, to this day, if anyone walks through the village the residents immediately know through eye contact if that person is somehow connected to the bombing. They are also quick to offer comfort because of their own memories of the bombing and their loss of a loved one. Three memorials have been erected in Lockerbie. The "Garden of Remembrance” is found in the village cemetery. There, among flowers and trees, a wall bears the names of all 270 who were killed. Another memorial known as the "Room of Remembrance,” is located next to Tundergarth Church. Residents and visitors alike find solace in this quaint stone building in what used to be the church’s "buffy” or tool shed. A large piece of the jet landed directly across the small road from the old church. A third, smaller monument marks the place where the largest portion of the fuselage crashed into a building. This place is especially poignant to the Johnsons as their daughter Beth’s body was recovered there. When parents are faced with the loss of a child, they deal with their grief in any number of ways. The enraged parents of 35 Syracuse University students killed on Flight 103 began a victim’s support group. These parents felt the need to band together, form a community and seek answers as to how such a monstrous act could have happened. The Johnsons joined the family support group, known as Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, whose focus is to fight terrorism through educational and political means. Both Glenn and Carole agree that at times it feels like a full-time job. Glenn, who is a former group board member, softly stated that the group was formed as a "way of getting through it.” Glenn said the group’s goals are: one, to provide emotional support for another through meetings and counseling; two, to publish a newsletter giving the members current information on the investigation; three, to work on improving aviation security; and, four, to work with the State Department and United Nations to bring those responsible to trial. In short, the group’s mission is "to make sure that there is no safe haven for terrorists,” Carole said. Through the group’s unceasing efforts, the Aviation Security Advisory Committee Act was passed in 1991. This led to the formation of a presidential commission under President Bush to boost airline security. The commission includes representatives from the victim’s group, airline industry, U.S. Customs, U.S. Postal Service, FBI and CIA. The commission meets periodically to review pending legislation and Federal Aviation Adminstration regulations designed to make the airlines more secure. Insecurity Glenn stressed the need for tighter airline security in general. "For any other job in the airport,” he said, "you work for the airline or the airport and you gain seniority. For security, you don’t. It’s all done by bid.” "The government is of the mindset that they need to train the crew chiefs and their superiors, not raise wages or hire full-time help,” Glenn said. "They feel that if the supervisors share their enthusiasm, it will trickle down to the others.” The unfortunate reality of airline security is that every security person examining your baggage is merely a part-time employee. Since contracts are put out to bid every three years, there is no continuity in the level of airport security. The low bidding firm, usually the one also paying the lowest wages, wins the bid. And, usually, those who are laid off from the terminated security firm go to work for the newly-hired firm, but are forced to start at the bottom. As Glenn observes, "how do you get a person to have the incentive when he actually knows what’s going on? He’s not going to be doing a good job when he’s lost his seniority, his vacation, and loses his pay, and you expect him to do the same kind of job he’s done before?” Carole also said gross negligence still occurs everyday in our nation’s airports. Several years ago, on a support group trip to Boston, Glenn, Carole and several other group members were invited by a security firm to review a device they planned to sell to airports. This apparatus was designed to alert security employees of anything unusual or harmful going through the x-ray machines. Because of the group’s connection with the FAA, security firms eagerly seek input from the group, hoping that will win approval from the FAA. Glenn requested a sample of what was to test the device, and Carole took the initiative to try her own experiment. Upon their return, Carole placed the device in a lead-lined film bag that went into her carry on duffle bag. Carole, who was wearing her very noticeable "Pan Am Flight 103: The Truth Must Be Known” button, watched as the security employee operating the x-ray machine never questioned the contents of the lead-lined bag, which could not be seen on the machine’s screen. Angered by this, Carole informed a TV news reporter about the incident when they returned to Pittsburgh. This sparked another investigation into how security is being conducted in our airports. Sounding weary, Carole claims "the government continues to be a reactive rather than a proactive organization and until something happens, they do nothing. They don’t believe in preventive medicine. It’s money. No matter what fight we have fought for the last seven years, it always comes down to money. Whether it is corporate greed or the money not being there, that’s always the bottom line.” Although our nation’s airports occasionally heighten security measures (as when the Pope visited the U.S.), there are still examples of lax security. Curbside luggage drop-offs are still in use at airports, and unattended luggage still is loaded on U.S. airlines, Carole said. "We only take precautions when we see a visible rash,” she said. "They have improved their act, but they’ve got a long way to go.” Through the relentless efforts of the family support group, severe sanctions have been placed on Libya in the hopes of convincing Libyan leader Col. Mohamor Gadhafi to turn over the suspects to either Scotland or the U.S. for trial. A trade ban between the U.S. and Libya now exists. Libyan aircraft have been grounded and money transactions, with the exception of oil, have stopped. The group is seeking an oil embargo, which would likely be too much for Gadhafi to bear. "As long as Gadhafi can keep his government running, he will not back down,” Glenn said. The Johnsons claim that the U.S. government has not done everything it could to capture the suspects for trial. The Pan Am bombing is "not a priority with the U.S. government,” Carole said. Both agree that this is not partisan issue. Neither Republicans nor Democrats can be solely blamed for all of the bureaucratic red tape the family support group has encountered. On a positive note, the Johnsons said that the victims’ families happen to be in positions of power, enabling them to cut through some of the red tape. Through networking, whenever one door in their search for the truth was closed, someone in the group would find a new route to take. Community The family support group provides much more than a means of pressing the investigation. It has become a community. This bond Carole warmly describes as "being with people who totally understand my feelings. It felt so comfortable because we were together with people who shared my pain.” "Your feelings were validated,” she continued. "When you thought you were going crazy, you’d talk to other people (in the group) and you’d realize that they were having the same thoughts and feelings. ... They were literally our lifeline.” Glenn added, "we were all helpless, but we helped each other.” The monthly meetings that the group holds run the gamut of emotions: from laughing one moment, to dissolving into tears the next. Glenn said their own relatives would comment on how strong both he and Carole were, but the Johnsons realized that, through these meetings, they received help for themselves, as they helped other members. The fellowship shared among the support group members is truly a give and take experience. Carole recalls having had many bad days when a group member would call who was having a worse day. "Through helping them, you build your own strength,” she said. Continued on next page.
