A Florida man, who recently became a father, received a handwritten letter from his mother months before she was tragically killed in the 9/11 attacks.
Jevon Castrillo, now 30, was just a child when his mother, Ceecee Lyles, a flight attendant, lost her life on Flight 93 after it was hijacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001.
All 40 passengers aboard did not survive. Lyles, who had previously served as a police officer in Fort Pierce, was working as a flight attendant on that fateful day.
Now a father of a three-month-old, Castrillo clings to fading memories of his mother. He recalls the day when his kindergarten teacher handed him a letter written by her in March 2001.
In the letter, Lyles wrote: “Dear Thurman, Jevon read a book he brought home from the library last night. He read it from cover to cover. I’m very proud of him for writing to you about what he’s done.”
Castrillo became emotional as he reflected on the words of his mother, saying it felt like she was reaching out to him.
His teacher, Tammy Thurman, preserved the letter even though Castrillo switched schools multiple times. The original envelope was missing, but the letter itself was intact.
“As a mom, I know you need to see those words from your mom. She was a great woman and you were a great student,” Thurman reassured him.
A statue of Lyles now stands in Fort Pierce, where Castrillo currently resides.
Flight 93 often doesn’t receive as much attention as the other planes involved in the attacks. While two planes crashed into the World Trade Center and another hit the Pentagon, Flight 93 was headed toward Washington, D.C.
During the ordeal, Lyles attempted to contact her family, initially only getting her husband’s voicemail.
In a voicemail at 9:47 AM, she said, “They hijacked the plane, I’m trying to settle down. We’re turning around. I heard there’s a plane jumping into the World Trade Center. I hope we can see your face again. I love you.” Just ten minutes later, the South Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.
Her husband reached her just after 10 AM, discussing plans with the other passengers to try to regain control of the plane from the hijackers.
She suggested they might use boiling water against the hijackers. After praying together, she declared, “We’re ready to do it now. It’s happening!”
The passengers on Flight 93 bravely fought back to prevent the plane from crashing into a target in Washington. One of the passengers, Todd Beamer, is known for his last words, “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll!” just before the flight went down.
The plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field at 10:03 AM, mere minutes after Lyles had her final conversation with her husband.
This flight had been heading toward potential targets like the Capitol or the White House, but the actions of the passengers prevented another devastating attack.
