In Memory of Craig Scott Amundson

Craig Scott Amundson was 28 years old and from Fort Belvoir, Virginia. (Born: Cedar Rapids, Iowa). Graig was assigned to the Army's Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel as a graphic artist.

Craig was on active duty under general Maude as a Specialist working at the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.

Craig is buried in Section 64, Site 4760, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.


(Letter to George Bush from Craig's wife Amber.)

Dear President Bush,

I do not like unnecessary death. I do not want anyone to use my husband's death to perpetuate violence. So, Mr. President, when you say that vengeance is needed so that the victims of 9/11 do not die in vain, could you please exclude Craig Scott Amundson from your list of victims used to justify further attacks? I do not want my children to grow up thinking that the reason so many people died following the Sept. 11 attack was because of their father's death. I want to show them a world where we love and not hate, where we forgive and not seek out vengeance. Please Mr. Bush, help me honor my husband. He drove to the Pentagon with a Visualize World Peace bumper sticker on his car every morning. He raised our children to understand humanity and not fight to get what you want. When we buried my husband, an American flag was laid over his casket. My children believe the American flag represents their dad. Please let that representation be one of love, peace and forgiveness. I am begging you, for the sake of humanity and my children, to stop killing. Please find a nonviolent way to bring justice to the world.

Sincerely, Amber Amundson.
(Amber Amdunson's letter was written on November 24, 2001.)

Pennsylvania commemorates 9/11 victims

Flight 93 National Memorial dedication on September 10th, 2011, the day before the 10th anniversary of the crash of Flight 93

Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton gave impassioned speeches; singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan performed her hits, "In The Arms Of The Angel" and "I Will Remember You", in tribute to the 40 heroic passengers of United Airlines Flight 93.

About Flight 93
United Airlines Flight 93 was United Airlines' scheduled morning transcontinental flight across the United States from Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco International Airport in California. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the Boeing 757–222 aircraft operating the route was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists as part of the September 11 attacks. It subsequently crashed into a field near Shanksville in Stonycreek Township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, during an attempt by some of the passengers to regain control.

George W. Bush, National Geographic Channel Interview

George W. Bush said in an interview that his apparent lack of re­action to the initial news of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was a conscious decision to project an aura of calm in a crisis.

In a rare interview about the attacks, the former president told the National Geographic Channel what was going through his mind when he was informed that a second passenger jet had hit New York’s World Trade Center.

Bush was visiting a Florida classroom, and the incident, which was caught on videotape, has often been used by critics to ridicule his apparently blank face.

"My first reaction was anger. Who the hell would do that to America? Then I immediately focused on the children, and the contrast between the attack and the innocence of children. So I made the decision not to jump up immediately and leave the classroom. I didn’t want to rattle the kids. I wanted to project a sense of calm. I had been in enough crises to know that the first thing a leader has to do is to project calm".

The National Geographic Channel will broadcast the hour-long interview on Aug. 28 as part of a week of programs on the cable network that mark the 10th anniversary of the attacks.