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Minnesota woman learns dad was 9/11 hero (United 93)
AP/Yahoo ^ | 10 Sep 06 | NO BYLINE

Posted on 09/10/2006 3:16:16 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback

While searching for her birth parents two years ago, Mariah Mills found more than she bargained for: A hero of Sept. 11, 2001.

Mills' biological father, who had given Mills up for adoption when he and his then-girlfriend were in college, was Tom Burnett, a leader of a group that fought back on United Flight 93 before it crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001.

Mills, 21, learned about her birth father in 2004 — after she turned 19, the legal age in Minnesota for requesting a birth certificate with names of birth parents — and subsequent DNA tests confirmed that Burnett was her father.

"Before I was even born, my birth dad made a brave decision — to give me a life," Mills told the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Sunday's editions. "It was a selfless act, just like his actions on Flight 93. And, as awful as it was that he died, and I never got to know him, there is good that came out of this."

Today, Mills has developed a relationship with Burnett's widow, Deena, her three daughters, husband and stepson, and other members of Burnett's family. She also celebrated her birthday with her birth mother, who lives in St. Paul with her husband and two children and asked not to be identified.

Mills transferred to the University of Minnesota and is entering her senior year. She will spend her first semester studying abroad. Her dream job, she said, would be writing about baseball and covering the Minnesota Twins.

Mills and her adoptive parents visited Jefferson High School in Bloomington during the spring of 2004 after Mariah found out about her birth parents. Mariah wanted to look up Tom Burnett in his senior yearbook. She found his photo and one of her birth mother, too.

"It was weird to finally look like somebody," Mills said. "I have her eyes, but mostly I look like a Burnett."

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TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: California; US: Minnesota; US: Pennsylvania; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: adoption; flight93; tomburnett; united93
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To: WV Mountain Mama
I am not sad for the daughter that has found out about her birth father. His former girlfriend didn't want attention. Do you know that he would've? Maybe I am just a more private person than you all who are commenting. What makes me sad is that his personal business is now everyone's business and he wasn't able to give his permission for the story to be publicized. I am really happy for his widow. I hope she has found renewed happiness.
41 posted on 09/10/2006 4:55:37 PM PDT by originalbuckeye
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To: originalbuckeye
Can you be assured that he would want this story told?

No, but I can be assured that this is how Western civilization has dealt with this moral issue for thousands of years. More importantly, I can be assured Deena Burnett--who I'd venture knew him a whole lot better than either of us!--thought this honored his memory. If not, this story would not have been told.

42 posted on 09/10/2006 4:56:45 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback (We didn’t lose 3,000 people that day. We lost one wonderful person at a time, 3,000 times.)
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To: WV Mountain Mama

PS-A good friend of mine knew him through the medical community. He was a terrific person. I know Mr. Burnett is at peace with all his actions on this earth.


43 posted on 09/10/2006 4:59:02 PM PDT by originalbuckeye
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To: Mr. Silverback


Thank you!


44 posted on 09/10/2006 5:00:00 PM PDT by onyx (1 Billion Muslims -- IF only 10% are radical, that's still 100 Million who want to kill us.)
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To: originalbuckeye
The article doesn't say when Tom's widow found out about the adoptive daughter. Perhaps she and Tom had talked about it years earlier and he wasn't "ashamed" (wrong word, but not sure what would be right one), embarrassed...

I think it shows how much Tom valued life, and his actions spoke volumes. I get the feeling from the article that it wouldn't have become a public story if anyone would have been upset by it. imo
45 posted on 09/10/2006 5:09:19 PM PDT by WV Mountain Mama (Thank you Andre!! RIP Steve, your legacy will live on, prayers for Terri, Bindi and Bob.)
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To: WV Mountain Mama

I'm sure Mr.Burnett wasn't ashamed or embarrassed. It's just that national recognition of a situation is different. That's all I meant.


46 posted on 09/10/2006 5:12:55 PM PDT by originalbuckeye
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To: onyx

De nada!


47 posted on 09/10/2006 5:25:11 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback (We didn’t lose 3,000 people that day. We lost one wonderful person at a time, 3,000 times.)
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To: Mr. Silverback
I met one (who shall remain nameless) here on FR a few weeks ago who was ultra-bitter, and believed there was nothing worse than being deprived of the birth mother's presence. When I pointed out that two loving, financially stable parents will always be better than one parent struggling in poverty, she acted as if I was saying money was more important than love. Very sad.

My wife was adopted. While she wonders why she was given up, she has never obsessed about it. She was born before abortion became legal, but is grateful that she had a chance at life, and I am thankful thet she lived to be my wife.

Anyone who was given up for adoption in this age of abortion should certainly be thankful they were brought up by adoptive parents, rather than ending up in a dumpster.

48 posted on 09/10/2006 5:37:12 PM PDT by Sans-Culotte ("Thanks, Tom DeLay, for practically giving me your seat"-Nick Lampson)
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To: queenkathy
Did Tom Burnett's widow, Deena get remarried?

IIRC, she remarried "recently" and is living happily in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Anyone else read that?

God bless her and her family.

 

SoS

49 posted on 09/10/2006 5:40:18 PM PDT by Song of the South ( = Zip-a-dee-doo-dah =)
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To: onyx; The Invisible Hand; STARWISE; BigSkyFreeper

Nah, forget him. This is developing into a fascinating story. No need to muck it up.


50 posted on 09/10/2006 5:51:48 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: originalbuckeye

Good point. I have trouble with these adoptees searching for their birth parents. Most people never expected years ago that they would be tracked down. I don't like it at all. Otherwise, it's a lovely story. Mr Burnett was a hero. This story changes nothing.


51 posted on 09/10/2006 6:04:20 PM PDT by PghBaldy (CNN on Castro - Intestinal Crisis 2006: A People Mourn.)
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To: Mr. Silverback; onyx; stands2reason

In his bible, you would have had to replace the word "friends" with the title of his claimed religion. :-)


52 posted on 09/10/2006 6:05:04 PM PDT by Larry Lucido
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To: Yaelle
The "birth parents" were genetic donors only, not parents at all

Yaelle, you are SO right. The "Adoptive Parents" sacrificed countless thousands of dollars, and years of endless amounts of energy to give this child a good life. You hear stories where such kids award the "Real (bio) Father" such honors as giving her away at her wedding. I hope this ungrateful and star-struck daughter will soon realize where her real loyalty lies before much damage is done.

53 posted on 09/10/2006 6:10:18 PM PDT by InkStone
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To: Mr. Silverback

If she ever finds out what happened I think she will be very angry.

I sincerely hope that anger is the only response because, in fact, that is about the healthiest response one can hope for. It is the self-loathing pathology that leads to horrible adult choices, repeating and perpetuating the legacy, that is the most sad. All the best to your relative.


54 posted on 09/10/2006 6:17:32 PM PDT by hardworking (Comrades Clinton - protecting you from information they have not approved.)
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To: WV Mountain Mama

I agree. I think it is a wonderful story. She must be so proud of the "birth father" she never knew. I think it is wonderful of Tom's wife and family to share their memories of him with her. If Tom was the outstanding young man that his actions show him to be, I think he would rejoice that his children now have a big sister to love.


55 posted on 09/10/2006 7:16:58 PM PDT by srmorton (Choose life!)
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To: Mr. Silverback

Well, I'll go along with you on the adoptive parents thing just this once because of the cook 9/11 Pentagon story you found on another thread. K? :)


56 posted on 09/10/2006 11:33:07 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Yaelle

There are situations where what you call "parents," and what I call "adoptive parents" are the last people on earth who deserve the title of parent in any way, shape, or form.

Biological parents get the title regardless of what they contribute to the child's well being. The child wouldn't exist without them having parented. People who adopt need to earn the right to be called a true parent. I speak from experience, from the viewpoint of the child (now adult).


57 posted on 09/11/2006 1:07:01 AM PDT by GretchenM (What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Please meet my friend, Jesus.)
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To: Mr. Silverback

Perhaps that adoptee never felt truly loved by the adopting parents; perhaps the birth mother hated being pregnant and rejected the child with the severest emotional investment in the hating, passing on rejection to her daughter before birth, and the daughter never could find a way to make peace with all of it.


58 posted on 09/11/2006 1:09:49 AM PDT by GretchenM (What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? Please meet my friend, Jesus.)
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To: onyx
Wow, that's a pretty cool story!

BTTT!

59 posted on 09/11/2006 1:24:42 AM PDT by BigSkyFreeper (There is no alternative to the GOP except varying degrees of insanity.)
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To: queenkathy
Did I read that right? Did Tom Burnett's widow, Deena get remarried?

Not sure when she moved, but she moved to Arkansas from California sometime after 9/11.

60 posted on 09/11/2006 1:29:47 AM PDT by BigSkyFreeper (There is no alternative to the GOP except varying degrees of insanity.)
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