20 years later: 9/11 memories linger

Twenty years later, the memories of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America may still evoke a range of emotions, as thousands of lives were lost within minutes when planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 

But the life of fun-loving but committed Baton Rouge native Michael Scott “Scotty” Lamana was a message to “live each day to the best of your ability.”

Lamana, who was killed in the Pentagon attack, was inquisitive and industrious from early in his life, according to his father, Mike Lamana.

“My dad was a contractor, he gave (Scott) some doorknobs on a display and he took them all apart to try to put them back together again. I think he was about four or five years old, and he just loved to fool with mechanical things,” said Mike Lamana.

Scott also had a sense of humor, playing practical jokes on his sisters and others.

While a student at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, where he played football as a freshman and then became a cheerleader, Scott bought a Mustang and overhauled it himself. During his days at CHS he also helped serve as an assistant athletic director at his alma mater, St. Aloysius School in Baton Rouge.

Moving on to college at LSU, where he met his wife Lorna, Scott served as an East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputy and as a volunteer firefighter and first responder with the St. George Fire Department.

With a military background in his family, particularly grandfather Sam Michelli who served in the Navy in World War II, Scott was moved to join the NJROTC program. He was commissioned as an ensign in 1992 and was a flight navigator on a P3C reconnaissance airplane. He served in the Persian Gulf War and was one of the youngest flight instructors in the Navy.

His skills and work ethic allowed him to rapidly move into leadership positions. In 1999, he was transferred to the Pentagon, where he was a briefer for the chief of naval operations and knowledge management officer/assistant project manager.

Dedicated to the end, Scott was working at the Pentagon when the first planes struck the World Trade Center.

A survivor who was in the office with Scott later told Mike Lamana that after the first reports of the attack on the World Trade Center came, Scott protected other workers in his office by telling them, “Y’all get out of the office and let us do our job.” He was tracking planes during the ensuing chaos as commercial and military planes, except fighter jets, were grounded. It wasn’t long after that the Pentagon was hit.

When Mike Lamana and his wife, Wanda, received word that Scott was unaccounted for they quickly packed up a few things and picked up Scott’s mother-in-law in Kenner and drove all night to Washington, D.C.  They knew in their hearts that if Scott could have called to reassure them he was okay, he would have.

Once they got arrived in Washington, D.C. the family kept vigil at Scott’s house. One of Scott’s close friends asked to work as the casualty assistant officer on the case. 

His eyes brimming with tears, Mike Lamana spoke about the friend’s delivery of the official notice while dressed in Naval uniform that Scott had been killed.

Scott was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. As Scott’s body was prepared for the funeral, his father was reassured by a family with military connections that Scott was “well taken care of” and that his uniform and many medals of honor were correctly placed on him.

His parents stayed in Washington until October. While there the Lamanas received an outpouring of messages from military and civilians how Scott was devoted to his country, family and friends. They talked about how they had fun and joked around together but knew that “their buddies” came first when it came to serious situations.

Mike Lamana was also touched when he visited the University of Maryland, where Scott had completed his Masters of Administration degree, and a professor told Mike that Scott was one of the best students she had ever taught.

“She said he influenced the other students, and they looked up to him,” Lamana said.

Once back home the Lamanas received an outpouring of support from the church and schools throughout the diocese and beyond. 

Scott is remembered on the annual anniversary of 911. Following the tragedy, the Pentagon flew a flag in memory of each person who was lost. The flag flown for Scott was presented to his parents, who donated it to St. Aloysius. The flag is typically displayed in a case in the school office but on Sept. 11, or on the proceeding Friday if that day falls on a weekend, the schools hosts a flag ceremony. During the week of Sept. 11 CHS displays photos of Scott in its mall. Likewise, the U.S.S. Kidd and Baton Rouge Fire Department also honors Scott.

Mike Lamana said “you make adjustments and time heals but you never completely get over losing a child. An “empty chair” syndrome remains.

When Mike speaks to parents who lost a child, he tells them to grieve at their own pace and don’t feel pressured to follow the advice from people urging them to “get over it.” But he does encourage them to stay connected to God.

“Never lose your faith because that’s what carries you through,” said Lamana.