A former flight attendant plans to honor his friends who died on 9/11 by pushing a drink cart from Dulles International Airport to the Pentagon.
The journey, titled "Paulie's Push" starts on Thursday and ends four days later on Sunday, the 21st anniversary of 9/11.
“There’s only one reason I did it and there's still only one reason I’m doing it, it's to recognize these guys,” Paul Veneto said.
Veneto used to be United Airlines flight attendant and often worked Flight 175 out of Boston. It was only a fluke he wasn’t working on 9/11. He had worked over the weekend and was off.
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
“So I was flying Saturday, Sunday, came back Monday, they went out Tuesday morning. That’s how it played out, I just missed it by a day,” Veneto said.
After the attacks, he said the guilt was agonizing.
“I fell into an opioid addiction and I struggled with that for years and I flew for 10 years under the condition," Veneto said. "When I was able to put that stuff down and turn my life around, I knew that the number one thing was to recognize these guys."
That is why last year he pushed the drink cart from Boston to New York. He pushed the cart in the pouring rain and the scorching sun.
This Thursday, he’ll begin a new journey, starting at Dulles airport, traveling the W&OD Trail for four days to get to the Pentagon.
He is also collecting money along the way for victims’ families.
“I know where the finish line is, I know where I gotta be, and no matter what barrier I have, it’s not gonna stop me from getting there,” Veneto said.
Next year, Vento plans to walk over 300 miles from Newark, New Jersey, to Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
