Former flight attendant honors 9/11 victims by pushing cart from Boston to NYC
Paulie's push to remember 9/11
As we approach the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, a former flight attendant is on a mission to remember his colleagues and all the flight crews who passed away that day. FOX 5 NY’s Stephanie Bertini shows us he’s following the path of American Airlines flight 11 and traveling hundreds of miles to ground zero all while pushing an airline beverage cart.
NEW YORK CITY - A former flight attendant pushed a beverage cart from Boston to New York City in honor of his colleagues and flight crew who lost their lives on 9/11.
Paul Veneto started his "Paulie’s Push" journey in Boston on Aug. 18, aiming to reach where the Twin Towers once stood in New York City by Sept. 11.
Honoring all the flight attendants, he started Paulie’s Push three years ago on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Following the route of the planes, this year he’s on track to complete all four.
"I’m not an athlete, trust me, I’m really not. It’s a mental thing for me. I don’t know how I do it. I don't know how I go mile after mile," Veneto said.
Click here to view the map of Paulie's path.
Veneto carries their pictures in his cart.
"I made this picture five days after 9/11, and I had a smaller version attached to my flight bag, and that was a crew that hit the second tower and I had a smaller version," Veneto said.
FOX 5 NY's Stephanie Bertini asked, "When you look at their faces today, how does it make you feel?
Veneto worked for United Airlines. His regular flight, United 175, was from Boston to LA.
He was off on 9/11 because he worked the day before. United 175 was the second plane to hit the World Trade Center on 9/11 after it was hijacked.
"It was never the same," Veneto said.
Veneto continued to work as a flight attendant for several years after his colleagues and friends who he refers to as the "first first responders" faced the horror of a day that will forever go down in history, forever changing New York City, the country and beyond.
"They were the first ones to go up against terrorism that morning on those airplanes," Veneto said.
He said working on the flights got tough. "We couldn’t trust anybody," Veneto said.
Veneto plans to spend the day honoring those who lost their lives, including his former friends and colleagues.
To learn more about Paulie's Push, click here.