Register for the VPAF 103 General Membership meeting here.

Join us for the first VPAF103-LEGACY SPEAKER EVENT of 2024-25 on Wednesday October 16, 2024 at 7 pm.

Jordanna Yochai, 2024-25 VPAF103-Legacy Fellow will present her research on the usefulness of countries mediating their neighbor’s internal violent conflicts. The title of her presentation is: Mediating in Mali. A New Approach to Sahel Counterterrorism.

This event will be broadcast live on Zoom. Registration is required and you can register at

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwvdeGhqzoiGtBecnmBllJwnaYfPDUERSei

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Three virtual speaker events are held on Zoom each academic year featuring the VPAF103-Legacy Scholarship Awardees and others working in the fields of national security or terrorism prevention. These presentations are one way that VPAF103, Inc. promotes learning about advances in support of national security and terrorism prevention and the impact that our Scholarship Awardees are making.

Jordanna Yochai is a Master’s of International Affairs candidate at SIPA, Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs. Her coursework focuses on defense and security issues, particularly within Africa and the Middle East. She is a member of the 2024 Columbia University International Fellows Program (IFP).

Jordanna Yochai served within the Department of Defense, in both analytic and policy capacities, and has also conducted research for the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Middle East Institute, the Wilson Center, and the Chicago Project on Security & Threats. Jordanna’s research has been published by the Iran Primer, the Islamists, Peacefare, and the Chicago Journal of Foreign Policy. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago, with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations. Jordanna has traveled and worked in Africa and the Middle East. She hopes to advance conflict resolution in these regions.

VPAF103, Inc. is hosting a special speaker event featuring Vanessa St.Oegger-Menn, the Pan Am 103 Archivist & Assistant University Archivist, Syracuse University. She will speak about Trauma-Affiliated and Trauma-Informed Archives.

This event will be broadcast live on Zoom at 7 pm Eastern on Thursday, April 18th. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Register in advance for this meeting at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIqduitpjsoGNQnQY4Ctvme50_hzVYr_ITx

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the presentation.

Vanessa St.Oegger-Menn is the Pan Am 103 Archivist and Assistant University Archivist at Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center. She holds an MA in 20th-Century British Literature from California State University Long Beach and earned her Masters of Library and Information Science with a concentration in archives and cultural heritage preservation from Syracuse University’s iSchool. Vanessa served on the Society of American Archivists’ Tragedy Response Initiative Task Force from 2018 to 2020, and has been an inaugural co-chair of SAA’s Crisis, Disaster, and Tragedy Response Working Group since 2021. In addition to her archival work, she is an advisor to the Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars at Syracuse University.

Speaker:         Cody Gardiner, 2023-24 Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. Fellow 

Title:                Ivory and Instagram: The Link Between Wildlife Trafficking, Social Media, and National Security

Cody Gardiner completed his bachelor’s degree at Emory University, where he double majored in international studies and history with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. After graduation, he interned at CNN before working for three years in risk and intelligence analysis. Cody currently serves as a threat manager on Meta’s Dangerous Organizations and Individuals team, where he conducts research on terrorist organizations, criminal entities, and hate groups. He is a master's student at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program (SSP), concentrating on international security issues. After graduation, Cody intends to pursue a career focusing on the intersection of transnational crime and national security. 

This event will be broadcast live on Zoom. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Register in advance for this meeting at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYscuCsrT8pHdHNLX-aVe8Ii26qKGIcBfNv

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. will again hold our traditional memorial service at the Pan Am Cairn at Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, December 21st. The service will begin at 1:30 pm.

There will be a shuttle available to bring guests to and from the Arlington Cemetery’s Visitors Center to the Cairn. The shuttle to the Cairn will leave from the Visitor Center (you must go through security inside the Visitor Center) and will be available from 12 noon through 1:10 pm. Return shuttles will begin when the service ends.

An hor d'ourves reception with a cash bar for family and friends to renew acquaintances and share memories. The reception will be held at the Marriott Crystal Gateway (1700 Richmond Hwy, Arlington VA) from 2-5 pm on December 20, 2023.

Tickets are $10 in advance and can be purchased online. Tickets at the door are $20 and payable by cash or check.

Speaker:         Max Goldberg, 2023-24 VPAF103 Legacy Scholar 

Title:                The Accessibility of Terror

Max Goldberg is an accelerated BA/MA in International Relations student at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, with minors in Geography, and Atrocity Studies and Practices of Social Justice. Growing up in three countries across two continents thanks to his parent’s employment in the federal government, Max seeks to enter into the family business of national security. His completed internships with USAID, USDOS, the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, and at multiple agencies within the intelligence community, in addition to his travels across 25 countries and language proficiency in Spanish and Polish, have endowed Max with a unique understanding of the global security environment and the threats demanding an appropriate response. The Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 scholarship will greatly assist Max’s continued efforts to leave behind a safer, more secure world and deliver justice to victims of violent extremism, aggression, and terrorism.

This event will be broadcast live on Zoom. Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Register in advance for this meeting at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMuf-mprjIqGNJ-ONCjTu9VdBj79D6SJ-qc

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

VPAF103, Inc. will hold its annual meeting on Saturday, October 21st beginning at 10 am. This will follow Syracuse University’s Remembrance Week activities, which are scheduled for October 15-20, 2023. The Annual meeting will include reports from the President and Chairperson, updates from the VPAF103 committees, reports from U.S. government and Crown Office representatives, and the opportunity to informally speak with the current Remembrance Scholars.

More about the meeting is available for members. Members can get more information about the meeting here.

Syracuse University's Hendricks Chapel will hold a service to commemorate the Pan Am Flight 103 tragedy on Wednesday, December 21 beginning at 2:03 p.m. Eastern in the Noble Room of Hendricks Chapel. 

This service will also be available to watch live on Zoom. To participate in this Zoom broadcast, you will need to pre-register at https://calendar.syracuse.edu/events/2022-dec-21/pan-am-flight-103-memorial-service-83421/.  After you register, you will receive a Zoom link that will enable you to join the Zoom broadcast.

The service will include family and friends reading the names of all our loved ones lost in 1988, speeches by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and Dorothy Bain, Lord Advocate of Scotland. We anticipate videotaping the service and posting it on the VPAF website after the service. 

There is paid parking in the Arlington Cemetery Visitor Center lot and the DC Metro stop is very close by. There will be a shuttle specifically for people attending our service making round trips from the street in front of the Visitor Center to the Cairn. Shuttle service will begin at ~12:15 pm through ~1:15 pm in order to arrive at the Cairn in time for the beginning of the Service. After the Service, the shuttle will be available until ~3:30 pm to take people back to the Visitor Center.

Prior to boarding the buses, all attendees must go through security. Outside of the Visitor Center will be security screener that all visitors must go through. From there they will walk to their buses, which will be parked at the tram location inside ANC. We will have an escort to lead the buses to the event site.

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

Remembrance Scholar Convocation, Hendricks Chapel, 3 p.m. – This annual convocation will honor the 2022-23 Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars. ASL interpretation and CART translation will be available for this event. A reception at the SU Art Museum Galleria in the Shaffer Art Building will immediately follow.

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

Rose-Laying Ceremony, Place of Remembrance, 2:03 p.m. – This annual ceremony honors the 270 people, including 35 students studying abroad through Syracuse University, who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The ceremony also honors 2002-03 Lockerbie Scholar Andrew McClune, who died in 2002. ASL interpretation will be available for this event.

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

“‘It was known as the place where nothing ever happens. But it did. It did.’: Trauma, Identity, Community and the 1988 Lockerbie Bombing” lecture, Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, 114 Bird Library, 10 a.m. – Researchers/criminologists Andy Clark of Newcastle University and Colin Atkinson of the University of the West of Scotland will discuss their recent criminological oral history research with first responders to the Lockerbie disaster site. This presentation is sponsored by the Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives at the Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center. Communication Access Real-Time (CART) will be provided.

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

Celebration of Life, K.G. Tan Auditorium, National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) – An evening of music, poetry, art, dancing and more to honor the victims of Pan Am 103 and to celebrate life alongside the victims’ families and the current scholars. ASL interpretation will be available for this event.

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

The documentary “Seat 20D” tells the story of “Dark Elegy,” the memorial created by Suse Lowenstein, whose son, Alexander, was killed in the Pan Am 103 bombing.

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle: The Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars will sit in the 35 empty chairs on the Quad.

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

Hendricks Chapel, 4 p.m. and Candlelight Vigil, Hendricks Chapel to the Place of Remembrance, 5:30 p.m. – The Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars will begin Remembrance Week activities with a Music and Message collaboration with Hendricks Chapel that addresses themes of hope, resilience and action in the face of tragedy. The evening will conclude with a Remembrance Candlelight Vigil at the Place of Remembrance.

Syracuse University Remembrance Week 2022

Hendricks Chapel, 4 p.m. and Candlelight Vigil, Hendricks Chapel to the Place of Remembrance, 5:30 p.m. – The Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars will begin Remembrance Week activities with a Music and Message collaboration with Hendricks Chapel that addresses themes of hope, resilience and action in the face of tragedy. The evening will conclude with a Remembrance Candlelight Vigil at the Place of Remembrance.

Speaker: Aya Yousuf, 2021-22 VPAF Legacy Scholar

Title: Assessing the Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction by Violent Extremist Organizations

Aya Yousuf is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, with a BA in political science and economics. She is currently a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) obtaining her MA in international relations. Her particular areas of study are national security, counterterrorism, and U.S. foreign policy.

Register for this event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpceGoqTkrHdUbQpM1gTJnOI7mwsZ7Vmf0

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Speaker: Katherine Rahmlow, 2018-19 VPAF Legacy Fellow

The 2nd event in the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. Legacy Speaker Series features Katie Rahmlow, a graduate of Hamilton College, Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. A former analyst in Washington D.C., Katie is currently a 2nd year student at Cornell Law School. Her legal work includes the Empire Justice Center, the Cornell Farmworker Legal Assistance Clinic, and immigration assistance to Afghan citizens. She will participate in Cornell’s recently established Afghanistan Assistance Legal Clinic, which begins in the spring 2022 semester. Katie is interested in public interest law and policy, and her research interests have included emerging technology and cybersecurity.

Our Annual Memorial Service at the Pan Am Cairn in Arlington National Cemetery will take place on Tuesday, December 21, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

The service will include family and friends reading the names of all our loved ones lost in 1988, speeches by Deputy Director of the FBI Paul Abbate and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and a wreath laying at the Cairn. A shuttle bus will be available to bring attendees from the Visitor Center at Arlington to the Pan Am Cairn from 12 n - 1:15 pm, and then for a return trip to the Visitor Center after the memorial service. We anticipate videotaping the service and posting it later on this website.

We encourage all attendees to be careful regarding Covid and wear masks when together.

Speaker: Chloe Wawerek, 2021-2022 VPAF 103 Legacy Fellow 

Register for this Zoom meeting at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtce2sqj8rE9La8MZyn4M79Q_nVwCGjw9v 

Chloe Wawerek enlisted in the Military Intelligence branch of the United States Army in 2015. She served for five years including one deployment to Afghanistan. During her enlistment she earned an Associates degree in Persian Farsi and a Bachelors degree in National Security. She is currently attending Georgetown University to earn her Master of Science in Foreign Service. After completing her Master’s degree, Wawerek will return as a commissioned officer to the United States Army. Her background is in innovation and emerging technology with a focus on military applications for improvements in national security. Fields of interest focus on artificial intelligence and cyber security. Wawerek will lead us in a discussion of the impact of hypersonic technology on national security.

The 2021 VPAF 103, Inc. Annual Meeting will be held in room 114 Bird Library on the Syracuse University campus and coincides with Syracuse University’s Remembrance Week commemoration scheduled for October 17-22. 

The Annual Meeting will include reports from the President and Chairperson and updates regarding the Aviation Security Committee. We are hopeful that representatives from the U.S. Government will be attending to provide an update concerning the charges against Abu Mas’ud for his role in the Pan Am 103 bombing. Our 2021-22 Legacy Award recipients and the “Keeping Their Spirit Alive” awards will also be announced at the Annual Meeting.

All members are welcome and encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting.

Remembrance Week events of special interest to the families and friends of VPAF 103 will take place on Friday, October 22, including an exhibit of material from the Pan Am Flight 103 - Lockerbie Air Disaster Archives (10 am-12-pm), the annual Rose Laying (2 pm) and Convocation (3 pm) ceremonies. Information about other Remembrance events will be available on the Remembrance website in early October at https://remembrance.syr.edu

The Hospitality Committee has reserved a block of rooms at the Sheraton Syracuse University Inn (801 University Avenue, Syracuse, NY) from Wednesday October 20 through Saturday October 23, 2021.

Syracuse University’s Virtual Remembrance Convocation will be held on April 30, 2021. More information about the event can be found at https://remembrance.syr.edu/virtual-remembrance-convocation-to-be-held-apr-30/.

On Monday, Dec. 21, 2020 at 2:03 p.m. EST, the Syracuse University, Lockerbie and Pan Am communities gathered virtually for the annual Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial Service. The service, hosted by the Dean and Chaplains of Hendricks Chapel, honored the 270 people, including 35 Syracuse University students, who were killed when Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a terrorist bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland on that date and time 32 years ago. Chancellor Kent Syverud, Dean Brian Konkol, Chaplains, Remembrance Scholars, and current and former Lockerbie Scholars offered prayers, reflections, and a reading of the names of the 35 SU students who were lost that day.

View below or visit https://remembrance.syr.edu/events/pan-am-flight-103-memorial-service/.