Mother of 9/11 Hero Urges Good Deeds

On the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the mother of a local man killed that day is urging Bay Area residents to roll up their sleeves and volunteer by joining a nationwide tribute to the tragedy's victims and survivors.

For Alice Hoagland, 61, the milestone is yet another way to honor the memory of her son, Mark Bingham, who would have turned 41 this week, she said. Bingham, who grew up in a rural area about five miles south of Los Gatos, was among a group of passengers who stormed the cockpit on United Airlines Flight 93 in an attempt to thwart hijackers' plan to crash the plane, possibly in Washington, D.C.

The 31-year-old was heading home to the Bay Area to attend a friend's wedding, his mother said. Hoagland believes her son's background as an avid rugby player -- he played for the University of California at Berkeley during his four years there -- and his protective nature helped spur him to take action against the terrorists along with a determined group of fellow passengers.

"He was a bit of a ramrod and he would take charge of situations, and I think he got that from rugby," she said.

Bingham was also gay, and would lament to his mother "that we did not have enough gay heroes," she recalled.

On Wednesday, the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro, the group that controls the rainbow flag at Castro and Market streets in San Francisco, voted unanimously to lower the flag this Sept. 11 in Bingham's memory, said the organization's president, Steve Adams.

"We only lower the flag for local GLBT heroes, and Mark is fitting of that," Adams said.

Now, in addition to campaigning for airline safety reform, Hoagland is helping to lead others in a movement to dedicate Sept. 11 to community service.

Over the past several years, she has served on the board of the nonprofit MyGoodDeed Inc., which worked to urge formal recognition of Sept. 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. In an address last weekend, President Obama urged Americans to volunteer their time to mark the tragedy's 10th anniversary, and said those interested can visit www.serve.gov.

This week, Hoagland is reminding people to take part in MyGoodDeed's "I Will" campaign, in which San Francisco, along with 24 other U.S. cities, will host large-scale memorial volunteer events from Sept. 9 through Sept. 11.

"I live it every day, so I'm just grateful that 9/11 comes around on the calendar so Americans can remember and recommit themselves to the unfinished work of 9/11," Hoagland said.

In the Bay Area, hundreds of volunteers have pledged to serve in a range of commemorative projects, from homeless shelter renovation projects to disaster preparedness training, Stranne said. To find out about volunteer opportunities near you on Sept. 11, log onto www.911day.org.

- Bay City News