ALAMOGORDO, NM — Retired Alamogordo police officer Alfred Marchand is being remembered 25 years after he died aboard United Airlines Flight 175 in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Marchand, known as “Al” to friends, was one of the nearly 3,000 people killed that day and the only known New Mexico resident among the victims.
Former colleagues say his death left a lasting mark on the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety, where he had worked closely with officers who came to think of him as family. Their memories have been preserved in a memorial inside the police department lobby, and his name remains part of the city’s annual 9/11 remembrance.
How Alfred Marchand became part of the Alamogordo police family
The strongest memories of Marchand center on the relationships he built while serving in Alamogordo. Theo Livingston, who joined the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety in 1985, said Marchand was his training officer and that the two quickly became close.
Livingston described the bond as something deeper than a typical workplace friendship. Retired Lt. Jerry Hardison said that connection extended beyond the officers themselves, reaching their families as well. Marchand was remembered as someone welcomed not only by his fellow officers, but also by spouses and children who knew him well.
Those ties helped shape the way the department has continued to honor him. Marchand’s old badge number, 55, still carries meaning for Livingston, who said he keeps it with him as a personal reminder of their friendship and of the life Marchand lived before the attacks.
From police officer to flight attendant before the September 11 attacks
Marchand retired from the Alamogordo police force in March 2001, months before the attacks. After leaving law enforcement, he followed a long-standing passion for flying and became a flight attendant.
Friends said that choice fit the way they had always known him. Livingston said Marchand loved to fly and enjoyed traveling, a detail that made his presence on United Airlines Flight 175 especially painful for those who knew him best.
When the second plane struck the World Trade Center, Livingston said he immediately feared Marchand might have been on board. He watched the events unfold on television and, after seeing it was a United flight, worried the worst had happened. Retired Sgt. Doyle Syling later received a call confirming that Marchand had died in the crash.
A memorial inside the police department keeps his name in view
The Alamogordo Police Department keeps Marchand’s memory visible in a lobby memorial honoring his life and service. For current and former officers, the display serves as a reminder of the department’s history and the people who shaped it.
Hardison said Marchand was loved widely within the department and by the families connected to it. That broad affection helps explain why his memory has remained active long after the shock of Sept. 11 faded into history.
The memorial also gives newer officers a way to learn about the legacy that older colleagues continue to carry. In that setting, Marchand is remembered not only as a victim of the attacks, but also as a respected former officer whose personal relationships still matter to the department.
The honor guard goodbye and the 21-gun salute that still resonates
When it came time to say goodbye, Syling served on Marchand’s honor guard. He said the moment was especially difficult because of the military-style tribute that accompanied the funeral.
Syling described the 21-gun salute as one of the most painful parts of the farewell. His recollection reflects how deeply Marchand’s death affected those who had worked with him, even after he had left the police force.
The service became one more reminder that Marchand’s death was not an abstract national tragedy for Alamogordo. It was also the loss of a friend, a mentor and a familiar face inside the department, all at once.
Alamogordo prepares another community stair climb for 9/11 remembrance
The city will continue honoring the victims of 9/11 this weekend with its memorial stair climb, which begins Saturday morning at 7:30. The event adds a public, community-centered layer to the private memories held by Marchand’s former colleagues.
For Livingston, the remembrance remains personal nearly a quarter-century later. He said he still thinks about the years he and Marchand never got to share and holds onto the belief that they will meet again someday.
That mixture of grief, loyalty and ritual has kept Marchand’s story alive in Alamogordo. His life is remembered through the memorial in the police department, the annual observances and the people who still speak of him as more than a name from Sept. 11.
Marchand’s death linked Alamogordo to one of the worst days in U.S. history
Marchand was 44 when he died in the attacks, part of a day that changed the country and claimed nearly 3,000 lives. His death also gave Alamogordo a direct connection to a national tragedy that otherwise can feel distant in time and place.
That connection has never fully disappeared for the people who knew him. The memories shared by Livingston, Hardison and Syling show how one person’s life can remain important long after the event that took it. In Alamogordo, Marchand is still remembered as a friend, officer and colleague whose legacy endures.
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