| Tzu
Chi volunteers lead family members in recitation of sutra |
 |
Reported
by Kang Tzu Ting, New York
Translated by Peggy Lo, Northern California
November 21, 2001
"Daddy, it's Wei-ming! Mom and
I are here to see you. Daddy, please come home with us!"
The heartrending words tore through the quiet town of Rockwell.
The cries came from the children of a Taiwanese businessman,
Chen Ching-che, a passenger who died on American Airlines Flight
587 on November 12. At a Buddhist memorial organized by Tzu
Chi volunteers, they repeatedly called for their father to return
home with them. Tears flowed freely from the more than thirty
family members, friends, and volunteers present.
Flight 587 was headed toward the Dominican Republic when it
crashed three minutes after taking off at 9:14 a.m. The jet
slammed into the neighborhood of Rockwell, in Queens, engulfing
several houses in fire. All 260 passengers and crew on the plane
died, and at least six to nine people were missing.
The families of the two Taiwanese businessmen
who died in the crash, Chen Ching-che and Tseng Po-yi, rushed
to New York after the crash to make arrangements for their funeral.
Tzu Chi volunteers from New York and New Jersey formed two air
disaster assistance teams, ready to offer their support at any
moment.
At 10:30 am on November 15, Mrs. Chen
Ching-che and her son, daughter, and sister-in-law, arrived
in New Jersey from Hawaii. Tzu Chi volunteers met them at the
airport and accompanied them to the air disaster family assistance
center at the Javits Center to register to identify the body.
There they met the brother, wife, son and relatives and friends
of the other victim, Tseng Po-yi. After some discussion, relatives
of both families asked the Tzu Chi volunteers to lead them to
the scene of the crash, where they could hold a ceremony to
reassure the souls of their dead relatives.
On November 16 and 17, New York Tzu
Chi volunteers Brother Chi Yi and Sisters Tzu Ting and Tzu Yu
accompanied the family members to a funeral home in Flushing
to select coffins and make arrangements for the funeral and
cremation. At night, Brother Chi Chueh from New Jersey brought
them to the New Jersey Still Thoughts Hall to attend their study
meeting.
At 10 a.m. on November 18, seventeen
volunteers from New York and New Jersey met the two families
at their hotel, and everyone headed toward the scene of the
crash.
The car drove along Rockwell Beach.
Even though the weather was bright and beautiful and the wind
was gentle, everyone felt heavyhearted and no one spoke at all.
As the car entered the charred neighborhood at Newport Blvd.
and
B130 St., the family members became very emotional.
When they arrived at the scene, Chen's
daughter and Tseng's son held enlarged portraits of their fathers
in their arms. Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Tseng broke into tears when
they saw the wreckage at the scene. The scene deeply affected
Chen's son, Wei-ming. Tears flowed freely down his face, and
he muttered to himself. Tzu Chi volunteers set up a statue of
the Buddha and flowers and fruits. After they lit the incense,
they began reciting Amitabha and the Heart Sutra, through which
the family members expressed their deep sorrow.
After transferring the merits of the
recitation, Sister Lu-jung led everyone in offering their sincerest
prayers for the dead. Volunteers held the arms of the family
members as they looked around the scene. As they were about
to leave, young Wei-ming kept on calling for his father to return
home with him. The eerie cries brought a tone of sadness to
the quiet town.
Around two in the afternoon, they all
attended a memorial service for the victims of Flight 587 held
by New York City at Jacob Riis Park. Prayers and songs filled
the scene, marking a simple and elegant ceremony.
Most of the 265 people who died were
mostly citizens of or immigrants from the Dominican Republic.
Only Chen Ching-che and Tseng Po-yi were Taiwanese, so they
received special attention. Over one thousand family members
of the victims of the crash attended the service, along with
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Governor George Pataki, Senators Hilary
Clinton and Charles Schumer, and other government officials.
Brother Shih Chi Cheng guided the dignitaries over. They offered
their condolences to the family members and shook hands with
the volunteers. The warmth from these high officials brought
some additional comfort to the family members.
