Remembering West Virginians killed in the 9/11 terror attacks

WEST VIRGINIA (WOWK) – It’s been 23 years since Sept. 11, 2001, the worst terror attacks on American soil when hijacked planes hit the Twin Towers in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

Another plane went down in a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back. Investigators believed the hijackers on that plane may have been targeting either the White House or the U.S. Capitol Building.

In the attacks, nearly three thousand people lost their lives, and around the country, people are remembering those who died, including the first responders who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

According to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum , those who perished were citizens of 90 different nations. Some of those we lost were from or had ties to the Mountain State.

Parkersburg native Mary Lou Hague was working on the 89th floor of the South Tower as a financial analyst when the terror attack unfolded. She was 26 years old.

Dr. Paul Ambrose grew up in Huntington and graduated from Marshall University’s School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Dartmouth before heading to the Harvard School for Public Health where his work focused on the Lincoln County Breast Cancer Prevention Project for rural women in West Virginia. Dr. Ambrose was on Flight 77 when it crashed into the Pentagon. He was 32 years old.

While not a West Virginia native, a former WVU quarterback also lost his life that tragic day. According to Nexstar’s Gold and Blue Nation (GBN), Chris Gray , a native of Manalapan, New Jersey, was killed in the attack. GBN says Gray played for WVU from 1988 to 1991. In 2003, the Chris Gray Memorial Scholarship was set up in his honor. WVU Football shared a social media post on the anniversary in his memory.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC.