Tower dedicated to Destrehan native who died in 9-11 Pentagon attack

Seventeen years after his death in the 9-11 Pentagon attack, Lt. Col. Robert Hymel was memorialized by the Knights of Columbus dedicating a 60-foot tower in his memory.

Hymel “was the only member of the Air Force killed on that morning, and among the first fatalities in the Defense Intelligence Agency on U.S. soil in our nation’s history,” Louis Authement said at the dedication ceremony Tuesday at St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace.

The Knights of Columbus of Louisiana selected the $150,000 tower project as its Community Project of the Year to honor one of its own for his patriotism.

“This tower is not just brick and mortar,” Authement said. “It represents service and sacrifice from flesh and blood, and the passion and purpose of the Knights of Columbus.”

The tower dedication highlights the school’s $600,000 activities center expansion.

Hymel was a 1964 alumnus of St. Charles Catholic High School when it was based in Destrehan.

After graduating, he served as a B-52 pilot during the Vietnam War. On Dec. 26, 1972, Hymel and his crew were on a bombing mission over Hanoi when his aircraft was hit by enemy missiles. As the crew prepared to bailout, they realized the rear gunner was injured and might not survive without medical attention.

Hymel and his crew voted to abort the bailout and attempt to fly the aircraft back to its base in Thailand. Shortly after midnight, as Hymel attempted to land the crippled bomber, the engines stalled and the plane plummeted to the ground. All on board were instantly killed with the exception of Hymel and the rear gunner.

Following a 1-1/2 year hospital stay, Hymel survived. In 1993, he retired as a lieutenant colonel, having received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.

Hymel joined the Knights of Columbus and became actively involved in blood drives. Living by his own motto, “I’ve been given a second chance so I’m going to make the most of it.” Shortly after retiring, Hymel became a management analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at the Pentagon.

A Red Cross Army Helicopter lands in front of the collision site at the Pentagon. Firefighters struggle to contain the blaze after the civilian plane hijacking,terrorist attack.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Hymel was at the DIA packing his office for a next-day move.

At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 was flown into the Pentagon. Hymel is believed to have survived the initial impact but died roughly 30 minutes later while attempting to rescue a woman.

Authement said he died, not because of the impact of the hijacked plane, but “because he refused to leave the burning building without first attempting to rescue a female officemate … when the floors above him collapsed, ending his life on earth, but beginning the legacy we now honor.”

Hymel’s wife, Patricia Hymel Lipinski, and twin sister, Mary Hymel Toss, were among family members and friends at the dedication.

New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond blessed the tower.

The memorial tower project in Hymel’s honor is a part of a much larger endeavor at St. Charles Catholic High School.

For the first time in the school’s 65-year history, a capital campaign entitled United in Faith was commissioned by Aymond and the pastors of the 14 Catholic churches in St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes.

Designed by SCC alumnus architect Michael Roussel to be 60 feet tall and featuring four stone crosses, the columns of the tower display each of the four founding principles of the Knights of Columbus – Unity, Charity, Fraternity and Patriotism.

Authement concluded, “This tower will provide a permanent reminder that even out of our darkest moments, like Sept. 11, our United Faith campaign will always enable good to rise up and prevail over evil.”

 

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