13 years after 9/11: Son remembers father killed in attacks

NEW YORK CITY – “The only thing we got was a partially burnt old driver’s license. It wasn’t even the most recent one. Maybe he left it in his wallet. But that was all we got.”

Julian Tamayo was 19 and his younger sister, Pamela,15, when their happy lives in Holliswood, Queens, with their mom, nurse Evelyn, abruptly changed.

“Few moments before I guess the second impact, he called and told my mom not to worry. That the plane hit tower one and that everyone is okay there,” Tamayo recalled.

“He didn’t make it. Exactly where he was, no one would ever know.”

His father, 51-year-old civil engineer Hector Tamayo, was on the 85th floor of the South Tower, overseeing a project renovation at a law firm.

“In the beginning, it was really raw and intense. For a few weeks, we held up hope that he was just in a hospital. One of my uncles and cousins searched every hospital. But after a couple of weeks, we kind of accepted that you know, he was gone.”

Tamayo and his family have shied away from talking publicly about that day, September 11 – 13 years ago. But now he doesn’t mind. Maybe working as a director for a youth ministry in Queens, New York, has helped, he told Rappler.

“It’s cliché , but it’s true,” he said. “Time heals all wounds, but sometimes, talking about it feels like picking on newly healed scars.”

He just finished having lunch with his family after attending the 9/11 memorial service.

His cousin was one of the many family members asked to read the names of the 2,983 victims, including the 18 Filipinos who were killed in the twin towers on the morning of September 11.

Two other Filipinos who were on board United Airlines flight 193 died in that attack: 39-year-old Ruben Ornedo who was a passenger aboard a flight that crashed into the Pentagon, and 33-year-old Ronald Gamboa.

This year, the crowd in and around the memorial service in downtown Manhattan was relatively small. And the mood, although still noticeably heavy with grief, had shifted a bit.

“We’re there to remember,” Tamayo explained. “There’s sadness. But now more people are there to celebrate their loved ones’ lives.”

Hector Tamayo’s life was filled with songs and laughter. The Aklan native regularly welcomed families who visited New York City, a family man who enjoyed telling jokes and singing with his karaoke machine.

Thursday’s memorial service was also the first time that many victims’ families were able to see both the National September 11 Memorial and Museum open. The memorial has been open since 2011 but the museum officially opened only in May.

Tamayo said it was during a recent visit to the museum when he found out something that might have answered a lingering question.

“We learned some details that we didn’t know before. The direct impact of the second plane was around where he was – possibly why we didn’t get him back.”

He admitted that they are grateful that at least they got something – that partially burnt old license which still showed his dad’s name. They have since donated it to the museum.

“I find it easier; there’s now a proper place for my dad, not jut some dirt on the ground. It’s a beautiful place.”

The other Filipino nationals who were killed on September 11, 2001:

Grace Alegre Cua, 40
Cesar Alviar, 60
Marilyn Bautista, 46
Cecile Caguicla, 55
Jayceryll M. de Chavez, 24
Benilda Pascua Domingo, 37
Ramon Grijalvo, 58
Frederick Kuo Jr., 53
Arnold A. Lim, 28
Manuel L. Lopez, 54
Carl Allen Peralta, 37
Rufino Conrado F. Santos III, 37
David Marc Sullins, 30
Hilario Soriano Sumaya Jr, 42
Maria Theresa Santillan, 27
Judy Hazel Fernandez, 27
Cynthia Motus-Wilson, 52

Ceremonies were also held in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and Washington DC on Thursday morning. President Barack Obama, with First Lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, observed a moment of silence with staff members on the White House lawn at the times each of the 4 planes crashed. – Rappler.com