Ex-flight attendant honors 9/11 victims with 200-mile trek

( NewsNation ) — Boston native Paul Veneto was serving beverages on a United Airlines flight in 2002 when he knew exactly what he needed to do. It had been one year since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 , and Veneto had been battling a storm of anger.

Now, the 65-year-old is on a mission to ensure the lives of his friends and colleagues on United Airlines Flight 175 will never be forgotten.

Sept. 11, 2001

“I was hoping to spend the rest of my career with United and retire, and as we know, the world changed on September 11,” Veneto said.

When Veneto began working for United in 1997, he was regularly assigned to the United Flight 175 crew from Boston to Los Angeles.

On Sept. 10, 2001, Veneto returned to Boston from Los Angeles on the aircraft’s final flight of the day.

The next morning, the former flight attendant was off work and watched with the world as his co-workers and aircraft crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York City.

“When the buildings came down, I felt a burning in the middle of my stomach, and I never felt anything like that before,” he said.

About 30 minutes into the flight, it was hijacked by five al-Qaida terrorists, causing the flight crew on board to try all they could to prevent the attack from happening.

“Chaos erupted. I saw those buildings come down just like everybody else did on TV and around the world,” he said. “We all watched that scene, and something happened to me.”

He continued, “I knew at that moment … everyone was going to forget what happened at the beginning of the day.”

Veneto considers the crew on that flight as the real first responders to the terrorist attack. He said what went on during that flight was tragic, chaotic and gruesome.

“They were doing everything possible under those conditions. It’s just mind-boggling. It always has been,” Veneto said.

Five days after the attacks, Veneto knew he had to do something. He wanted to keep his late co-workers’ memory alive.

So, the former flight attendant had a picture made of the crew of Flight 175. He attached it to his flight bag and for the next 10 years of his career with United, he was known as the guy with the picture on his bag.

But that still wasn’t enough for Veneto.

‘Paulie’s Push’

For 10 years, Veneto suffered through the burning pain of grief and anger. He was prescribed pain medication and didn’t realize he was numbing his emotions.

“I just didn’t understand it, you know, I knew a fire in my stomach was there, but it was, it was smoldering because of this pain medication,” Veneto said.

For years, he fought addiction and numbness. But he never spoke about his journey because he never wanted to take away from or overshadow the heroics of the flight crews and passengers aboard all four hijacked flights.

But Veneto fought, overcoming the addiction and turning his life around, which he was grateful for. It wasn’t until he was five years sober that he knew he was ready to take on the mission he was meant to do.

So, with the help of his family and friends, Veneto created a plan for “ Paulie’s Push .”

For the past four years, Veneto has made it his mission to walk the flight paths of each aircraft hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, pushing a plane beverage cart.

For the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Veneto set out from Boston to ground zero to honor the flight path of United 175 .

In 2022, he trekked the route of American Airlines Flight 77 from Dulles International Airport to the Pentagon Memorial.

And last year, Veneto set out on his longest journey yet, walking the route of United Flight 93 from Newark Newark Liberty International Airport to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown, Pennsylvania — a 300-mile, 30-day trek.

All three years, Veneto was successful, gathering support from thousands of people along the route and uniting communities with the same goal: Remember and honor those who fought and lost their lives on 9/11.

People just showed up out of nowhere, Veneto said, and he knew something different.

Not only did Veneto keep the memory of those lost alive, but he also created a community based on hope and strength. As he walked through the streets, people from all over would come up to him and share their stories, whether they related to the terrorist attacks or not.

And Veneto would listen.

“I’ll be in the middle of the street crying with people, and it happens every day, every single day I’m out there,” he said.

Part 4: American Airlines Flight 11

Now, the retired flight attendant is making his way through Connecticut as he pushes the beverage cart along the American Airlines Flight 11 route from Boston to ground zero.

The 200-mile journey will take the 65-year-old a total of 24 days, with plans to reach ground zero by the 23rd anniversary of the attacks.

Along the way, Veneto is also walking to teach about the horrors of that day and what the flight crews on board did. He has spoke at schools and events, educating children who were born after the attacks about that day.

As to what Veneto will do when his four-year mission comes to an end, he said he has some ideas floating around in his head.

One of those ideas, which was based on suggestions from people around him, involves the 25th anniversary and the participation of several communities.

Veneto shared that he is hoping to formulate a collaborative walk, where members of the community from children to adults to first responders push the beverage cart along the route from Boston to ground zero. Every few miles or so, the next group of people would take over pushing the cart, and so on, until the journey is completed.

While that is still a few years away, Veneto said he is working with his team to make the goal possible.

But for now, Veneto says he is grateful to be able to have the opportunity to be involved.

“I’m grateful for every breath I take. Trust me, I’m just so grateful that I can,” he said.

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