On September 11th, 2001, at just after 9:30 a.m., Hanna Born and her younger sister, Heather, were toddlers playing in the Pentagon Child Development Center. Simultaneously, American Airlines Flight 77 had been diverted from its destination to Los Angeles by hijackers to strike the Pentagon. No one on board the plane survived, and 125 people inside the building also lost their lives.

The sisters were both miraculously rescued, and there’s not a single day they don’t take that for granted. Now, 25 years later, they both serve in the U.S. military. Hanna is an instructor pilot in the U.S. Air Force, and Heather serves in the U.S. Marine Corps. Both sisters are committed to giving back to the country they love.

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In 2025, Captain Hanna Born began the non-profit Run to Remember 2977. As stated on their site, it’s “a year-long journey to run 2,977 miles, one for each life lost on 9/11.” People (including her sister) join her along the way for her run, but what remains constant is her steadfast dedication to remembering not just a “number,” but actual people. To that end, she says each person’s name out loud, so that their legacy will continue.

Upworthy had the true honor of speaking with Hanna about her experience inside the Pentagon on that fateful day and her journey to making sure every life lost is remembered.

She describes the morning. “I was almost three years old, and she was just four months old. Thanks to selfless service members and others working on site that day, we (along with the other children in the daycare) were safely evacuated. My dad asked........

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