9/11 Widow Recalls the Day Her Husband Died
Hinsdale resident Sue Mladenik's husband Jeff was on board one of the flights that hit the World Trade Center.
Sept. 11, 2001, changed Sue Mladenik's life for ever.
Her husband Jeff was on board American Airlines Flight 11, one of the planes hijacked by terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center. Although a decade has passed since that tragic day, Mladenik's wounds are still fresh.
A Hinsdale resident of more than 25 years, Mladenik sat with Patch reporter Mauricio Rubio and shared her memories of that day.
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Anthony Trendl
9:53 am on Thursday, September 1, 2011
I met Jeff once or twice when I was studying at Wheaton College's grad school. He was in a different department, and I can't say I knew him. However, I remember first hearing about his murder and realizing how 9-11 impacted so many people. Hundreds died that day, and thousands more knew them well, whether directly as family, attended the same church, or coworkers, old neighborhood buddies, and so on. While Todd Beamer is the name most people would reply to the question, "Which Wheaton College alum was killed by terrorits on 9-11?", Jeff's life was equally sacred.
Alex Keown
10:08 am on Thursday, September 1, 2011
Absolutely Tony. It was a terrifying moment and the days that followed were heart wrenching. I still remember when one of my colleagues at my old paper's reaction. He was from NY and knew people in the towers. Plus, his aunt was on one of the planes. His anguished cry is seared into my memory.
Steve Woodward
9:01 pm on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Sept. 11, 2001, changed America forever; changed the nature of living in a free society. It was a day of unthinkable tragedy. And yet ... Eleven years later, on Sept. 11, 2012, there is no observance, scarcely a mention, of the 9/11 anniversary during the school day at Hinsdale Central High School.