News

Actions

Family of Utahns killed in 9/11 attacks says they won’t participate in lawsuit

Posted at 9:38 PM, Sep 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-28 23:39:23-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- A new legal path for the families left behind after the September 11th terror attacks was approved in Washington D.C., but a Utah family says they are not interested.

Both the House of Representatives and Senate voted to override President Obama's veto of the 'Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act'.

Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican, co-sponsored the legislation, which will allow families who lost loved ones to sue the Saudi Arabian government, claiming the state sponsored some terrorist activities.

"Just money, it's not going to change anything significantly. It's just not something we're interested in doing," said Margaret Wahlstrom.

Wahlstrom lost her mother in-law, Mary Alice Wahlstrom, and sister in-law, Carolyn Beug, when one of the planes struck one of the World Trade Center towers.

"The answer really is to start at the root and teach the children and teach people not to hate, teach them to respect," Wahlstrom said.

A long time member of the state Parent Teachers Association, Wahlstrom worked with local students to design the September 11th memorial in Kaysville. It features pictures of her lost loved ones along with Utahn Brady Howell, who was killed at the Pentagon.

The names of Utah soldiers killed in the fight against terror are on a plaque beneath the word "Unite". Other sections feature the words "Remembrance" and "Hope". Wahlstrom says the words were chosen by the kids who helped with the design.

"The one thing we can do is hold our head up high and say, since that time, we have tried really hard to do positive things," said Wahlstrom from the Kaysville memorial.