Black Wings: A tribute to CeeCee Lyles

During Black History Month we always take time out to acknowledge the biggest and brightest Black men and women of the world’s history. Whether it’s the heroes of civil rights like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks or creators and innovators like George Washington Carver and Madam CJ Walker. Often times there are a lot of heroes who make big impacts that go rather unnoticed to the general public. Sometimes such individuals are responsible for moments and actions that do not warrant a lot of attention from the general public, other times there are people who are a part of big moments in time, but were overshadowed by the moment itself. One such person is CeeCee Lyles, she was one of the heroic flight attendants aboard United Airlines flight 93 during the September 11th attack.

Hailing from Fort Pierce, Florida, it’s safe to say that CeeCee Lyles (born CeeCee Ross) had already been a hero since youth. Before her days as a flight attendant CeeCee was a dedicated mother and police officer in Fort Pierce, Florida. CeeCee was a single mother to two sons, Jerome and Javon. CeeCee was known to be very hardworking and even in times when the rough got going she never looked for public assistance, she instead decided to make her own way working multiple jobs to make ends meet. CeeCee eventually joined the Fort, Pierce police department where she started off as a street saavy patrol officer and in six years she would work her way up to detective.

During her time in law enforcement CeeCee would become taken with a young police dispatcher named Lorne Lyles who would eventually become the love of her life. After three years of building a strong relationship CeeCee and Lorne were married and she became CeeCee Lyles in May of 2000. Lorne had two sons of his own from a previous relationship, Justin and Jordan. CeeCee gladly took over the role as mother in their lives.

A big dream that CeeCee always had was being a flight attendant. She always wanted to travel and see the world and she knew that being a flight attendant was a great opportunity to do so. Eventually CeeCee grew weary of the rather melancholy side of being a cop, though she honored her occupation she was now looking for a change. In the fall of 2000 her husband Lorne found an ad from United Airlines that was looking for new flight attendants. He of course passed this info to CeeCee who took full advantage and in October of 2000, CeeCee retired from law enforcement and became a flight attendant for United Airlines.

The morning of September 11, 2001 started off the same for CeeCee as it did for everyone else. She boarded United Airlines flight 93 with the rest of her flight crew including: Wanda Green, Deborah Welsh, Sandra Bradshaw, Lorraine G. Bay, Captain Jason Dahl and First Officer Leroy Homer. Like the rest of the world, the flight crew and passengers of United 93 had no idea what was in their midst that morning. By 8:46 a.m. and 9:03 a.m., American Airlines flight 11 and United Airlines flight 175 were hijacked and crashed into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York.

CeeCee and her cohorts on board United 93 were completely unaware of the attacks on the twin towers and were also oblivious that they were about to encounter the same fate. Around 20 minutes after the crashes at the World Trade Center, the control of United Airlines flight 93 was seized by hijacker pilot and Al-Qaeda operative Ziad Jarrah, accompanied by three more Al-Qaeda operatives Ahmed Alhaznawi, Ahmed Al-nami and Saeed Al-ghamdi. They wounded and removed pilot Jason Dahl and first officer Leroy Homer from the controls of the aircraft and fatally wounded passenger Mark Rothenberg and flight attendant Deborah Welsh.

As air traffic officials on the ground became aware of United 93’s hijacking the passengers on board the aircraft, including CeeCee start calling loved ones and authorities on the ground and learned about the World Trade Center attacks. CeeCee’s husband Lorne was still asleep in bed when she called, but she left a recorded message from an air phone in the coach cabin of the aircraft:

“Hi, Baby. I’m . . . Baby, you have to listen to me carefully. I’m on a plane that’s been hijacked. I’m on the plane. I’m calling from the plane. I want to tell you I love you. Please tell my children that I love them very much and I’m so sorry, babe. Umm. I don’t know what to say. There’s three guys. They’ve hijacked the plane. I’m trying to be calm. We’re turned around and I’ve heard that there’s planes that’s been, been flown into the World Trade Center. I hope to be able to see your face again, baby. I love you. Good-bye” - (CeeCee’s phone message to her husband Lorne).

By 9:37 a.m. American Airlines flight 77 which had been hijacked after departing from Dulles Virginia was crashed into the Pentagon in Washington D.C. After learning about the attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon it became clear to CeeCee and the rest of the passengers on board United 93 that they were going to become victims of the same fate and they all banded together to stage a revolt against their hijackers. As the battle for United 93 began CeeCee phoned her husband Lorne one more time and this time he picked up:

“Babe, my plane is being hijacked. My plane is being hijacked. Babe, they are forcing their way into the cockpit. They forced their way into the cockpit. Babe, I called to tell you I love you, tell the kids that I love them. Oh Lord, it feels like the plane is going down.” - (CeeCee’s final call to her husband Lorne).

After a seven minute fight with the hijackers for the control of the aircraft, United 93 crashed in an open strip mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania just outside the town of Shanksville. All on board died in the crash including CeeCee. It wouldn’t be hard to guess how CeeCee reacted when the danger was underway on board United 93. With her experience as a cop she no doubt sought justice in the face of danger that morning. Not surprisingly was she ready to fight back and defend the innocent. Like the rest of her cohorts on United 93 she was an everyday beautiful soul who became a hero who laid down her life while saving others.

To this day CeeCee Lyles is remembered as a hero. There have been many memorials erected in her honor, such as a statue in her hometown of Fort Pierce, Florida. CeeCee will forever be cherished for being a hard working woman who was a big inspiration to the women in her community. She was also a dedicated woman of faith and loving wife and mother. During times like Black History Month when we honor Black women of the world like Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks, may we never forget heroes like CeeCee Lyles who gave her life protecting the innocent.

~~Dedicated to the memory of CeeCee Lyles.