Monday, Dec. 8, was a Chamber of Commerce weather day for those who moved here from faraway places like Kansas or Korea, where December meant cold, snow and more cold. However, University City enjoyed unseasonal warmth from the sun that particular Monday. Weren’t locals lucky to live here? At 11:58 a.m., U.C.’s luck ran out when a hobbled Marine FA-18 flew way too low and crashed into the home of a sweet young family named Yoon, a family with roots in Korea. The silence and sunshine were shattered, and so was the heart of University City. A huge black cloud rose above Cather and Huggins streets. Below a young mother, darling baby girls ages 2 months and 15 months and their grandmother visiting from Korea were gone, victims of the jet crash. A young lieutenant ejected from the FA-18 and landed safely below the neighborhood homes. One eyewitness thought it must have been a stunt; it couldn’t possibly be real. Dong (Don) Yoon lost his whole family and his newly occupied rental home. “Why?” remains unanswered in spite of inches of news in the press and a couple of public forums where the Marine commandant, Col. Chris O’Connor, apologized, grieved and tried to explain to the residents what happened, using words like mishap, engine failure, protocol. He mentioned the seamless integration and teamwork at the scene of the crash. Lt. Don Neubauer, the pilot in training, will be scarred for life knowing he caused the death of four people so full of life and hope, vulnerable babies, loving mother and daughter. And what about Don Yoon? How will the Marines make reparation to him? Money will not fill the void of constant pain of the greatest loss imaginable. Neighbors around Huggins Street and Cather Street have long-term healing and grieving also. At a Dec. 11 public meeting at U.C. High School, worried parents asked about the impact of toxins from the jet fuel on their children, the fear the children felt, how to deal with the healing for the kids. The “what if” audience members asked about the flight pattern proximity of the schools: University City High School, Curie School, Standley Middle School and Spreckels Elementary. What if the plane had been a few feet north and slammed into the high school? O’Connor kept repeating, “There will be a full and comprehensive investigation,” as though he were pouring healing water over the crowd. However, many people’s fear turned to angry assaults on their neighbors, the Marines. Will it be a whitewash? Why didn’t the pilot go to North Island? Why don’t the Marines move to the desert away from this urban area? Heated exchanges as well as cool heads with lengthy military experience emerged from the audience. Rev. Daniel Shin, family pastor for Yoon, acknowledged how much grace Yoon showed toward the pilot and the Marines. Shin also acknowledged the pain and darkness that will go deeper into Yoon’s psyche before he gets better. Mayor Jerry Sanders thanked the crisis intervention team, the police and fire department’s extraordinary work. Sanders said there would be a congressional investigation as well as a military one. Chief of Police William Lansdowne appreciated the great work of the police and fire departments, as did Assistant Chief Boyd Long. Both praised Capt. Shelley Zimmerman, commanding officer of Northern Division. More than 170 personnel were involved in the initial phase. Three to five houses suffered damage and two houses were destroyed. Marine fire personnel cut through a locked gate and came across Miramar Nursery right onto Governor Drive. One U.C. resident said; “Our community has a scar.” He wondered why there wasn’t a stand-down with a review of safety procedures with no flying out of Miramar on the day after the crash. O’Connor replied: “There was a stand-down of the squadron involved, but other pilots flew over U.C. out of Miramar.” Retired Adm. Pete Heckman reminded the audience that “in 1951 Miramar was so far out of town that no one went there.” Homes and schools and businesses were built around Miramar. Miramar wasn’t built around them. District 1 Councilwoman Sherri Lightner, whose first day in office on the day of the accident will be seared in her memory forever, was asked by Charles Frasier to make certain City Council sees public standard procedures for malfunctioning aircraft. He questioned why a jet with one engine out would fly over a heavily populated area. “We want to be the best neighbors,” was O’Connor’s closing statement. Pia Mantovari-Sud, who lives across from the air crash scene, wrote to her friends: “From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your support for me, Manish, Paul, and James. On Monday some higher powers were looking out for me. How is it possible to have so much destruction on one side of the street and literally nothing on my side of the street … One always hears about disasters and war zones, but it is different when you’re in it. “The sense of eeriness and calm cannot be described. My thoughts go out to those four human beings who perished, but also to Dong, the lone survivor of his family. What a loss! And for what? I think we have to re-evaluate the impact of the military in our lives and here in San Diego. They are too powerful. As a society we have to become more inclined towards peace, not destruction. Imagine what we could do with the dollars spent on the crashed aircraft; how many schools could be maintained, how many firefighters, paramedics or police officers we could finance! “My true heroes in this story are the firefighters. As long as I live I will never forget them. I’m glad to see all these young Marines here because I know that one of them here is one of them less in harm’s way. Now that a fence is up around the perimeter of the crash site, we can bring back our boys to their home. “Of course nothing will ever be the same again. I needed to write this as a way to process my sadness. Thanks for listening. — Pia” Saturday, Dec. 12, was a less than Chamber of Commerce weather day, with howling winds, biting cold and a spritz of rain that never quite turned to a full rain. The dark day at Glen Abbey in Chula Vista at 1 p.m., the forgiving, courageous Don Yoon, walking the walk of his religious beliefs, laid his sweet, young family to rest with O’Connor in attendance and support. — Editor’s note: A trust fund has been created and donations for the Yoon family can be sent to Dong Yoon, #200-717-333, SD Hanmi Bank, or by mail to Korean United Methodist Church, 3520 Mt. Acadia Blvd., San Diego, CA 92111.