LeRoy Homer was a Marlton native who had dreamed of flying since he was a young boy. The foundation in his name awards scholarships to young people who pursue aviation careers.
The inaugural 9/11 LeRoy Homer 5K – to honor the first officer of the doomed United Flight 93 on 9/11 – will be held on Sunday, Sept. 8.
The event will start at the Memorial Sports Complex in Evesham. Chip timing, a finish line video, text messaging and instant results will be available on RunSignUp. Participants can sign up for either the 5K or a virtual 5K/1-mile walk.
Gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded in each age group. Race day packets will be distributed on race day beginning at 7:30 a.m. The race will begin at 9:11 a.m., to mark the terrorist’s attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans on 9/11 in 2001.
“I think for us, we really want to just create a bigger presence in our community, and just have more people recognize what we do, who LeRoy was, and also just not to forget about Sept. 11,” said Jane Oswari, vice president of the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation.
“As tragic as Sept. 11 was, I don’t think we should ever forget all the sacrifices that were made that day,” she added. “It wasn’t just about the people that we lost, but it was about how our community came together.
“One of the things I always think about is Sept. 12, because the day after, there was such a unity in our country,” Oswari recounted. “That day – and leading into the weeks following – everyone was helping everyone. There were no issues of division. The goal was, let’s just be there for each other, and we so need that today.
“We’re the most divided we have ever been just in terms of our society, and everything is so polarized, but I think we have to hold onto that piece,” Oswari added. “Not just remembering what happened that day and to honor those people, but also to remember how we came together as a nation to support and help each other through that.”
Homer, a Marlton resident, was first officer on Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought off terrorists who intended for the plane to strike the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The LeRoy Homer Foundation awards flight scholarships to young adults to pursue careers in aviation, and proceeds from the race will benefit the scholarship program to help create the next generation of pilots.
“That’s one thing we would love for people to be able to know about us, is that we’re here to help kids learn how to fly,” Oswari explained. “And I think the other part is just that awareness around Sept. 11, not forgetting about it, that there’s good that came out of that event, and there’s opportunities to help in ways that can help other people.
“LeRoy’s legacy really has impacted so many lives, and so we would love for people to know that there’s a way that they can also help impact other people’s lives.”
Homer had dreamed of flying since he was a young boy, when he assembled model airplanes, read every book he could find on aviation and at 15 years old, began flying lessons, according to www.leroywhomerjr.org. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and began his military career flying C-141s.
During his active service, Homer achieved the rank of captain and later became a major in the Air Force Reserves. He joined United Airlines in 1995.
“He (Homer) was a very soft-spoken individual, very kind-hearted,” Oswari recalled. “ … But at the same time, when he did speak, people listened, and he was really just a kind person …
“He was a super nice person and very easy to talk to.”
On the morning of 9/11, United 93 was headed from Newark to San Francisco with 37 passengers, including the two pilots, five flight attendants and four hijackers. The pilots had received messages from United dispatch to beware of cockpit intrusions and that terrorists had earlier hit the World Trade Center.
Homer’s wife Melodie also sent a message to Homer via the cockpit computer system. When the cockpit door was breached, FAA’s air traffic control center in Cleveland could hear Homer declaring mayday amid the sounds of a physical struggle in the cockpit.
According to the official transcripts of the flight’s cockpit voice recorder, the hijacking took place 46 minutes after takeoff, and the plane turned toward Washington, D.C. It was later determined it was headed for the Capitol.
Using airphones, United 93 passengers and flight crew called family and friends and found out about attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The passengers were determined to take back the plane, but what they didn’t realize was that the automatic pilot had been manipulated in a way that made it difficult for the hijackers to fly the Boeing 757.
The pilots were the first to fight the terrorists, and along with the crew and passengers, saved Washington, D.C., from an attack.
The LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation was founded in 2002 with the mission to encourage and support young adults who pursue aviation careers. The foundation awards flight scholarships for private pilot certification, and since it began, 31 scholarships have been awarded.
“One of the reasons we started off doing what we do is because of his (Homer’s) childhood,” Oswari noted. “At a young age, he was working side jobs to try to get his own private pilot license and at 16 years old, he was already doing that. And so we just felt like, what was the best way to honor him? And it was really to take his own passion and try to help others to have that same passion and achieve their dreams.
“I think he would really be happy with how we chose to honor his name and how we’re doing it.”
