Paulie in the Patriot Ledger!
BRAINTREE — Paul Veneto has a lot of experience pushing a drink cart between cities. He did it for 30 years as a flight attendant for five different airlines.
But that was in the air.
Starting Aug. 21, the 62-year-old Braintree resident plans to push an airline drink cart on land from Boston Logan Airport to Ground Zero in New York City, arriving on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He's doing it to call attention to his crewmates on United Flight 175, the second hijacked plane to crash into the twin towers of the World Trade Center that day, as well as the flight attendants on the other three airplanes involved in the attacks.
Veneto said the purpose of the journey, "Paulie's Push," is "to recognize those crew members for what they did. It was hand-to-hand combat. They were the first first responders. They were heroes. They were absolute heroes."
A twist of fate
Flight 175 was Veneto's regularly scheduled flight. He had come in on the Boeing 767-200 the night before. But with the airline's schedule rotation for the Boston-based crew, Veneto had Sept. 11, 2001 off. He was helping a friend build a concrete wall on Quincy's Hospital Hill when he heard about the first crash. He saw the second crash on TV, not knowing it was his regular flight.
He remembered how Kathryn Laborie, the plane's purser, would climb onto his back so she could inspect her gear in the overhead compartment. Amy Jarret was Veneto's usual partner working in the coach section. Flight attendants Amy King and Michael Tarrou were engaged to be married to each other. Three were in their first year on the job. Flight attendant Alfred Marchand was starting a second career after spending 20 years as an Albuquerque police officer.
Flight attendant Robert Fangman was able to get a call to a United Airline office in San Francisco to let them know of the hijacking and to report the crew in the cockpit had been killed. Alicia Titus was the other flight attendant, and two United gate agents were also on board, flying on passes.
"They were such great people. I loved working with them," Veneto said. "I loved that career."
One of the flight attendants was stabbed by the hijackers.
When he learned of the death of his crewmates, Veneto said, "I was in shock. I wanted revenge. I was angry and I knew there was nothing I could do."
For the decade that Veneto continued to fly after the attacks, pictures of the Flight 175 crew were on the outside of his flight bag. Now, they are on the top of his drink cart. where he can look down and see then as he rolls along.
The lingering effects
In the days that followed the attacks, Veneto's feelings fueled an addiction to the opiates he had been prescribed for a back problem while he continued to work. The 10th anniversary of the attacks sent him into a tailspin, and he retired from his job.
"I fell apart," he recalled.
It wasn't until five years later that he was able to beat the drug habit.
"I knew it was either get straight or die," Veneto said "It was a miracle I got straight. I just prayed."
Veneto began training for his push to New York in October, by walking alone. In March, he started pushing the cart through Dorchester's Pope John Paul II Park. Since May, he's been pushing the cart on roads, becoming a familiar sight in Braintree and Quincy. He's now up to 16 miles per day, splitting his workouts between morning and evenings. He hopes cover up to 20 miles a day before he begins his trek.
The training has shaved 30 pounds off Veneto's 5-foot-11-inch frame, and has helped him quit smoking. He gets training advice from longtime Boston Marathon race director and endurance athlete Dave McGillivary, two-time Stanley Cup champion hockey player Kevin Stevens, and Becca Pizzi — the Belmont woman who five years ago ran seven marathons in seven days on seven continents.
A 1978 graduate of Milton High School, Veneto has two classmates serving as his support crew and trailing him in a recreational vehicle: Steve Lynch and Dennis Morrissey.
The trek will benefit the 9-11 crew members' families registered nonprofit organizations and Power Forward 25, a Marshfield based nonprofit started by Stevens to assist those like himself who are dealing with addiction. Donations can be made via the website pauliespush.com or checks can be sent to Paulie's Push, in care of First Republic Bank, 160 Federal Street, 8th Floor, Boston, 02110 — Attention Cam Clifford.
A respectful remembrance
There were 65 people on Flight 175 that morning, including the nine crew members and five hijackers. Among the passengers were former Boston Bruins player Garnet "Ace" Bailey, the director of pro scouting for the Los Angeles Kings, Kings scout Mark Bavis, and Christine Hanson, age 2½.
The other plane that crashed into the World Trade Center, American Airlines Flight 11, also took off from Logan Airport.
Veneto said there was no way to prepare the crew for what they endured that morning: trying to do what they could for their passengers. He also believes they were trying to retake the controls of the aircraft from the hijackers.
"It's nothing to push this to New York compared to what they did," Veneto said of his crewmates and the other flight attendants who died that day. "That thing will end up in New York if I have to carry it on my back. I know they would have done the same for me."
A benefit to raise money to defray the costs of the trip will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14 at Florian Hall, 55 Hallet St. in Dorchester. The event will feature live music from The Reminisants and Selfish Stream. Tickets are $20 per person and are available through pauliespush.com.
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