Retired Flight Attendant Honoring 9/11 Flight Crew Stops In Long Valley

LONG VALLEY, NJ — A retired flight attendant is walking more than 300 miles to honor the 9/11 flight crews and victims onboard United Flight 93, and he recently arrived in Long Valley.

Two years ago, Paul "Paulie" Veneto pushed an airline beverage cart from Boston Logan International Airport to Ground Zero to honor and remember the flight crews of 9/11, including his own colleagues on United Flight 175.

He thought that, despite the gravity of what had occurred that day, the "first, first responders," as he frequently refers to them, had not received the attention that they deserved. His ambition and dedication, as well as his own problems with opiate addiction in the aftermath of that day, drew a worldwide following, according to his blog.

When the push ended, he realized the movement needed to continue, and he (and his team) determined that a push to memorialize each of the four planes that crashed on Sept. 11 was in order. So, in 2022, Veneto pushed his cart from Washington-Dulles International Airport to the Pentagon National Memorial in honor of American Flight 77.

For the third year, Veneto has begun the most difficult push yet: from Newark Liberty International Airport to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown, Pennsylvania. It will be a 300-mile expedition lasting 30 days and nights.

Along the way, he has stopped in various towns, including Long Valley, according to the local police department.

"Today we had the honor of meeting and escorting Paul Veneto. Paul is a former flight attendant whose friends and colleagues were killed on the 9/11 flights," the department wrote on social media. "We wish him a safe journey and thank him for keeping the memory of 9/11 alive."

Those interested in following Veneto's adventures can do so here or on his social media profiles. Visit this live link to see his progress in real-time.