Sept. 11 Victims' Chronicle of Loss May Go Unheard
Cathie Ong-Herrera needed to see a therapist to deal with the loss of her sister, who died aboard one of the airliners that slammed into the World Trade Center. She didn’t turn to a social worker or victim’s rights advocate. She contacted David J. Novak, a federal prosecutor in Alexandria working on the case against alleged Sept. 11, 2001, conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui. Novak had interviewed Ong-Herrera after Sept. 11, called repeatedly to check on her and even arranged for family members to hear the last words of Betty Ong — a 23-minute tape of a heroic call the flight attendant made recounting the hijacking of American Airlines Flight 11. The tape, he told the family, would be played at Moussaoui’s trial. Full Story