A former flight attendant is launching a digital archive featuring handwritten journal entries written by U.S. service members, contractors, and media personnel aboard post-9/11 troop charter flights.
Paula Gibson, who worked for World Airways, originally passed her personal journal to a soldier during an early deployment flight. The journal moved down the aisles from hand to hand, leading Gibson to collect multiple volumes of personal entries over two decades.
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, Gibson is publishing the original handwriting alongside transcribed entries in an ongoing collection titled In Flight: Journal Entries from 9/11 Troop Movements. The project expands upon her previously published book, InFlight EnRoute & In Thought, Volume 1.
The digital project includes a search feature titled “Find Your Entry,” which invites service members, contractors, journalists, and their families to locate their writing or initials. Gibson stated that the effort aims to reconnect with contributors and provide families the opportunity to read notes written during long overseas flights.
The digital archive publishes weekly entries and will release daily updates during the week leading up to September 11, 2026. The platform will also accept newly submitted stories and updates from former passengers.
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