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On the anniversary of the Dec. 21, 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in which 35 Syracuse University Abroad students died, Crouse College’s bell rang 35 times. Hendricks Chapel Dean Rev. Brian Konkol approached SU’s Remembrance Wall to hang a white floral wreath.

Konkol gave opening remarks at the 34th annual memorial service on Wednesday afternoon in honor of the victims of the bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, which killed a total of 270 people onboard and on the ground. Among them were the 35 SU Abroad students, who were returning to New York from a semester in London.

Konkol said the memorial service — which began at 2:03 p.m., the time Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed — was a time for remembrance and reflection.

“34 years ago this day, the world was plunged into darkness, as 270 lives were lost,” Konkol said. “We remember that day as vividly as (if) it were today. On that day, it seemed our future was stolen. Here at Syracuse University, we lost a generation.”

Despite continued suffering from the attack 34 years later, Konkol said, providing comfort and consolation is the best thing the SU community can do to support each other.

“Grief is powerful. Grief is real,” he said. “One of the promises that we can give to each other in times of grief is you do not journey alone.”

Susan Price, a reference librarian in Bird Library at the time of the disaster, said her daughter, Carolyn Price, was supposed to be on Pan Am Flight 103. Carolyn, who participated in SU Abroad’s London program in the fall of 1988, decided to stay in Europe after the abroad program concluded.

In the aftermath of the attack, Price said she didn’t know whether her daughter was alive for at least three days.

“Nobody knew for sure who was on the plane,” Price said. “And so there was a crash and people on the campus knew there was a crash, but they couldn’t say who was on the flight.”

As a number of Carolyn’s friends died in the attack, Price said helping her deal with the losses was and continues to be difficult 34 years later.

“My daughter knew all of (the students who died),” she said. “She would come back for a visit, but she’s very uncomfortable being here (at SU). We live just south of campus and she hears planes flying overhead, and she gets nervous… it’s just something about the circumstances.”

David Jensen, an SU staff member for over 45 years, accompanied Price at the Remembrance Wall. Jensen said both he and Price are calling for SU to arrange access to counseling, PTSD assistance and the creation of a registry for people who may have been indirectly, but still severely, affected by the disaster.

The Pan Am 103 bombing remains the deadliest attack to have taken place on British soil, and after 9/11, it holds the second-highest American death toll in a terrorist attack.

Wednesday’s anniversary and memorial service come just over a week after suspect Abu Agila Mohammah Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi was taken into custody and charged in connection with the 1988 attack. In December 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice accused Mas’ud, a Libyan intelligence operative, of building the explosive device detonated on Pan Am Flight 103, according to a memo from then-U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr.

In an interview with The Daily Orange, Konkol called the arrest of Mas’ud “welcomed news,” and said he’s confident in the current proceedings.

“The pursuit for justice continues 34 years after Pan Am 103 went down,” Konkol said. “It’s a reminder that the story of Pan Am 103 continues to be written.”

In October, SU celebrated its 32nd Remembrance Week, which 35 Remembrance Scholars and two Lockerbie Scholars from Lockerbie Academy in Scotland organize each year.

Patricia Ann Burak, an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, said SU’s programs and events surrounding Remembrance work to be a sign of respect and honor the victims’ lives, and emphasized the importance of remembering everyone who died in the attack.

“Every student’s life is important, even if they were only students for one semester with us or from another university and they enrolled in our study abroad program,” Burak said. “They all become part of the Orange, (and) they become part of Syracuse University’s heart and soul… These young men and women had their life’s lives cut too short… I hope that it’ll never happen again to anyone else.”

As time passes from the 1988 bombing, Konkol encouraged attendees to turn toward the “light in ourselves, in each other and in the world” to support those who continue to suffer 34 years after the Pan Am Flight 103 attack.

“Time in and of itself does not heal all wounds,” Konkol said. “We have to intentionally come together, wrap our arms around each other and remind each other that we do not grieve alone.”

Published on December 21, 2022 at 8:50 pm

Contact Dominic: dcchiapp@syr.edu | @DominicChiappo2