Song, prayer and remembrance washed over the crowd inside Wichita City Hall’s council chamber Thursday afternoon, filled with more than 100 people who gathered to remember those who died last year in the American Airlines Flight 5342 midair collision.
Sixty-seven people died during the Jan. 29, 2025, collision involving the plane and an Army helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., including seven Kansans. Two passengers on the plane were Wichita State alumni: Kiah Duggins and Lori (Girard) Schrock.
“One year does not diminish loss,” said Wichita Mayor Lily Wu during her opening remarks at the one-hour-long service.
“Grief has no timeline, and for many families, it remains close, including for families here in Wichita. Today we gather not to explain what cannot be explained but to remember, to honor and to stand together.”
A service for unity
Ten religious leaders, all from different denominations, led the community in an interfaith prayer. The leaders and members of their congregations gathered in front of the solemn crowd, providing a backdrop of support.
Ronda Kingwood, a senior pastor at Great Plains United Methodist Church, facilitated the service.
Wichita State alumnHugo Castillo opened the prayer with a powerful rendition of “Never Walk Alone.” His tenor voice rang throughout the chamber.
“Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart and you’ll never walk alone,” Castillo sang.
The crowd attentively watched the service, absorbing the words and songs from religious leaders who said their prayers at different communities affected by the loss.
President Jared Mortensen, a second counselor in the Derby Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints, gave an emotional ode to the families and loved ones of those who lost people close to them in the collision. Mortensen stifled tears during his prayer while the religious leaders surrounding him encouraged him.
“Father, we ask you to please help us, us family and friends, that we will listen to the promptings of the Spirit,” Mortensen said. “… so that we might be able to help those that suffer in silence, that may look like they’ve healed, but they are still hurting.”
Throughout the service, Kingwood encouraged the attendees to clap and speak aloud when moved by the service.
“It’s okay to clap your hands and say, ‘Lord, hear our prayer,’” Kingwood said. “It’s okay to say, ‘Yes, Lord.’ ‘Amen, amen, amen.’ ‘Thank you, Lord.’”
The Greater Wichita Ministerial League brought together faith leaders to give prayers for specific aspects of the loss: for the community, for family and friends, and for leaders of communities during tragedy.
After the service, Mayor Wu said that it was important to represent a range of faiths at this kind of event.
“Kiah (Duggins) and her family were strong Christians — are strong Christians,” Wu said. “So I wanted to make sure that not only was her faith represented, our faith represented, but other faiths of the other individuals who lost their lives.”
Kingwood, who led the service, said that the event was intended to bring together not just people of one faith, but “all God’s children.”
“I think it’s amazing when we have all walks of life, all different denominations, all faiths come together and just love,” Kingwood said. “This says a lot about who we are in Wichita.”
Joseph Shepard, District 1 City Council member and former Wichita State student body president, said he could describe the day in one word: unity.
“It’s very clear that this tragedy has impacted people from all across not just the state, not just the city, but the world,” Shepard said. “It’s unfortunate that tragedy often is what brings us together like this. But it’s a reminder that we got to do it more often.”
Shepard hopes that people remember those who lost their lives on the plane and helicopter as more than just victims of tragedy, but as individuals.
“These folks are more than just Flight 5342,” Shepard said. “They had purpose. They’re individuals who had impact.
“Showing up today recognizes that this wasn’t just something that we mourned over that day that it happened a year ago, but it’s going to be something that we continue to reflect and remember throughout the rest of our lives.”
