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20th Anniversary of Lockerbie Bombing

by Jordan Yerman | December 21, 2008 at 07:47 am

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Today marks the 20th anniversary of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 passengers and crew as well as 11 people on the ground.

Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, convicted of placing the bomb, has recently been denied bail.

In Scotland, a commemorative wreath was due to be laid at Dryfesdale Cemetery, the site of a permanent memorial and remembrance garden to the victims of the attack.

Services marking the exact time of the attack at 1903 GMT were also due to take place later in local churches.

Relatives of those killed on the aircraft are set to attend a service at London's Heathrow Airport on Sunday, where Pan Am flight 103 departed on the evening of December 21, 1988.

A number of "low key" ceremonies are taking place in the town in accordance with the wishes of the community.

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Uwe Paschen

at 07:51 on December 21st, 2008

There are no words for that nor will they ever be for such events.

Vann (not verified)

at 12:12 on December 21st, 2008

As a captain in the US Army stationed in Germany, I served as a Casualty Assistance Officer for a young soldier and his wife who were on that flight. The soldier was assigned to my unit in Germany. I spent christmas eve inventoring all of their personal effects at their residence in Germany and arranging for shipment back to the US and their relatives. I also notified any and all creditors that I could find and helped close/settle accounts. A very sad moment in my army career. In the days following I was interviewed by Scotland Yard and the FBI as they were trying to gather as much information as they could on every passenger on that flight. I will always remember this date and this tragedy.

Laughing-Samurai (not verified)

at 14:11 on December 21st, 2008

I always remember. I lost a dear friend who was going home to New York from London for Xmas. She was a therapist and spent most of her adult life helping others. We have never had a real answer about this story! 20 years went by too fast!

crcaton

at 08:45 on December 24th, 2008

The statues in the photo commemorate the deaths of Syracuse University students in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103. The artist Suse Lowenstein, a mother of of one of the victims, asked victims' mothers to re-enact the moment they heard of their child's death and captured their reactions in sculpture. The sculptures, which are from Lowenstein's Dark Elegy collection, were displayed on the Syracuse University Quad to honor the 20th anniversary of the bombing.