Perhaps it was because her mother’s birthday was just a week ago. Perhaps it was because nearly a decade of grieving hadn’t done a thing to make the death of Hawaii resident Georgine Corrigan the least bit comprehensible.

Whatever it was, Laura Brough found little relief in Sunday’s news that U.S. forces had at long last located and killed al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden at a secret stronghold in Pakistan.

"It has taken nine and a half years and I cannot say it proves closure for me," Brough said in an e-mail interview with the Star-Advertiser.

Corrigan, an antiques dealer, was on her way back to Hawaii from the East Coast on Sept. 11, 2001 when her United Airlines Flight 93 was hijacked by four al-Qaida operatives. She was among the 37 killed (including the four hijackers) when the plane crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

While Brough remains ambivalent about Bin Laden’s death, she is unequivocal in her support for U.S. troops involved in the ongoing war on terrorism. She spent Saturday with wives of Army soldiers on deployment. Today, she plans on attending a military ceremony aboard the Battleship Missouri.

"My deepest wish is for our troops to start returning home safely," she said.

Brough said she has already made arrangements to travel to Pennsylvania for 10th anniversary commemorations of 9/11.

And while the rest of the world begins to ponder the consequences of Bin Laden’s demise, Brough prefers to reflect on the woman she calls "my treasure."

"I miss my mom," Brough said. "She was special, and those who knew her know what I mean. She was one in a million (and) everyone who met her was instantly taken by her. She was my treasure and now a national treasure.

"The pain from the loss I feel, and that of my family, is still deep," she said. "But I hope today changes the course of the world once again."