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Braintree's Paul Veneto completes his push to honor 9/11 flight attendants

The Patriot Ledger - 9/11/2021

BRAINTREE -- After pushing an airplane drink cart 220 miles from Logan Airport to the Ground Zero Memorial at the World Trade Center, Paul Veneto brought it to a stop at the United 175 section of the memorial Saturday afternoon.

The retired flight attendant dropped to one knee as he remembered his friends who died when the plane crashed into one of the towers.

"It was emotional for me," Veneto said in a telephone interview from ground zero Saturday afternoon.

Veneto was a regular crew member on the flight, but had a scheduled day off on Sept. 11, 2001. He regularly worked the coach section with Amy Jarret, whose father Aram accompanied him onto the grounds of the memorial Saturday.

Amy Jarret was 28 years old and engaged to be married. There were six other flight attendants on the Boeing 767-200, which departed Logan Airport for Los Angeles that day.

PAULIE'S PUSH: Braintree's Paul Veneto begins his push to honor 9/11 flight attendants

"Paulie's Push" was intended to bring recognition to the four sets of flight attendants who Veneto believes are the unsung heroes of the day, assisting their passengers while facing certain death. Veneto calls them "the first first responders."

A Braintree resident, Veneto's odyssey has received national and international coverage.

"The only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner," said Veneto, who worked as a flight attendant for 30 years.

The journey began at Boston'sLogan Airport on Aug. 21, where two of the 9/11 flights originated. During those three weeks. Veneto took only a single day off and pushed on through two tropical storms: Henri and Ida.

Along the way, Veneto was joined by flight attendants. police officers and firefighters even people who followed his journey online and stood along the route holding signs and flags.

"It was amazing. I got to listen to their stories," he said.

So many people wanted to pose for pictures with him that it slowed his progress, Veneto said. He covered as much as 14 or 15 miles a day.

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At one point in New York City, Veneto said he had to pick up the drink cart, put it on his back, and carry it up a flight of stairs.

The cart also made it all the way through the trip.

"I can probably push it all the way back to Boston," he said.

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The 62-year-old Veneto credits the training he did with allowing him to complete the journey. It began in October with walking. He began pushing the cart in March, first through Dorchester'sPope John Paul II Park and later on the streets of Braintree and Quincy, gradually increasing the mileage.

Three of Veneto's Milton High School Class of 1978 classmates served as his support crew, following him along the route in a recreational vehicle.

The loss of his fellow flight attendants had a profound effect on Veneto. While he worked for another decade as a flight attendant, he developed an addiction to opiates. On Saturday, he also celebrated six years of sobriety.

Veneto will return home Monday, Sept. 13 after participating in on-field activities before Sunday night's nationally televised New York Mets-New York Yankees baseball game at Citi Field.

As for what's next, Veneto hasn't thought about that yet.

"Now I can settle down and take it easy," he said.

"Paulie's Push" benefits the 9/11 crew members' families' registered nonprofit organizations and Power Forward 25, a Marshfield-based nonprofit founded by two-time Stanley Cup champion Kevin Stevens to assist those like himself who are dealing with addiction.

Kelli Wilson, president of Power Forward, said $100,000 in individual and small corporate donations has been raised to date for Paulie's Push.

Donations can be made via the website pauliespush.com or checks can be sent to Paulie's Push, in care of First Republic Bank, 160 Federal St., 8th floor, Boston 02110, Attention: Cam Clifford.

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Fred Hanson can be reached at fhanson@patriotledger.com.

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