The Lockerbie Air Disaster: Pan Am 103

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Terrorism – This is a word that many people are terrified of. When a terrorist attack occurs, people’s daily routines are shattered. Things change instantaneously the moment the bomb goes of. When we think about a terrorist attack that really impacted the world, we immediately think about 9/11. On that day many people were hurt directly and indirectly. People were disorientated and scared. The moment there is change, the world panics. Unfortunately, 9/11 was not the only day where people panicked. On 1988, the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 occurred. This terrorist attack was not as massive as 9/11; but, it did leave scares especially to the Syracuse University community.

On December 21, 1988, the Pan American flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. This flight was traveling from London Heathrow to New York-JFK when it exploded 31,000 feet above Lockerbie, Scotland just 38 minutes after takeoff. It carried 259 passengers in which all died that tragic day. The airplane was destroyed by a Semtex plastic explosive, which was placed in the forward cargo hold. It was hidden in a Toshiba radio-cassette player. Because the explosion happened in the air, the pieces of the airplane dispersed and did not stay in one place. On Lockerbie, Scotland, the large pieces of the airplane shattered and killed 11 people on the ground.

Unfortunately, this was not a surprise attack. Investigations made found out that on December 5, 1988 the Helsinki, Finland embassy received an unsubstantiated threat. The United States notifies airlines, airports and embassies in Europe of a possible bomb attack. The only thing that was learned was that a Pan American World Airways flight leaving Frankfurt, Germany would be attacked. The Europe government ...

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...ents. All the posters were not located at one place but rather in various buildings around campus. The Remembrance Scholars also held special events such as the 5K walk in 2009. Ultimately, the Remembrance Scholars are not the only students involved in keeping the 35 students’ memory alive.

For the Lockerbie Air Disaster memorial this year, students form the Syracuse University School of Architecture displayed their exhibit in honor and remembrance of the Pan Am 103 bombing. The exhibit was made of over 70,000 feet of string. It enveloped the Slocum Atrium. This artwork depicted the process of remembrance and the transition to the afterlife. Students, faculty and staff administered artworks such as this and other special events that occurred during the week. Ultimately, they worked together as a community to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Pan Am bombing.

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