Posted on 09/16/2001 1:14:30 PM PDT by jern
By JOANN LOVIGLIO, Associated Press Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - ``Are you guys ready? Let's roll!'' is an expression Todd Beamer used whenever his wife and two young sons were leaving their home for a family outing.
The 32-year-old businessman and Sunday school teacher said the same thing before he and other passengers apparently took action against hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 on Tuesday, shortly before the plane crashed in a western Pennsylvania field.
The jetliner, which government officials suspect was headed for a high-profile target in Washington, was the fourth to crash in a coordinated terrorist attack that killed thousands, and the only one that didn't take lives on the ground.
``He was gentle by nature, he was also very competitive, and he wouldn't stand for anyone being hurt,'' said Beamer's wife, Lisa, who was told of his last words by an operator who spoke to him. ``Knowing that he helped save lives by bringing that plane down ... it brings joy to a situation where there isn't much to be found.''
Todd Beamer placed a call on one of the Boeing 757's on-board telephones and spoke for 13 minutes with GTE operator Lisa D. Robinson, Beamer's wife said. He provided detailed information about the hijacking and - after the operator told him about the morning's World Trade Center and Pentagon (news - web sites) attacks - said he and others on the plane were planning to act against the terrorists aboard.
``They may have realized that (the hijackers) were planing to do the same thing with their plane,'' Beamer said Sunday in a telephone interview from her Hightstown, N.J., home. ``So they chose to do what they could to prevent other people from being hurt.''
Before the call ended and with yelling heard in the background, Todd Beamer asked the operator to pray with him. Together, they recited the 23rd Psalm. Then he asked Robinson to promise she would call his wife of seven years - who is expecting a third child - and their two sons, ages 1 and 3.
After receiving clearance from investigators, Robinson kept her promise Friday.
``People asked me if I'm upset that I didn't speak with him, but I'm glad he called (Robinson) instead,'' Lisa Beamer said. ``I would have been helpless. And I know what his last words would have been to me, anyway.''
Beamer said her husband placed the call at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday and told Robinson that there were three knife-wielding hijackers on board, one who appeared to have a bomb tied to his chest with a belt. The other two hijackers took over the cockpit after forcing the pilot and co-pilot out.
The jet was bobbing and changed course several times; the passengers knew they would never land in San Francisco.
``They realized they were going to die. Todd said he and some other passengers were going to jump on the guy with the bomb,'' Lisa Beamer said.
Several other passengers made phone calls from the jet before it crashed southeast of Pittsburgh: Jeremy Glick, 31; Mark Bingham, 31; and Thomas Burnett Jr. 38. Glick and Burnett said they were going to do something.
Todd Beamer dropped the phone after talking to Robinson, leaving the line open. It was then that the operator heard Beamer's words: ``Let's roll.''
Then silence.
Shortly afterwards, the plane crashed, killing all 45 aboard.
``Some people live their whole lives, long lives, without having left anything behind,'' Lisa Beamer said. ``My sons will be told their whole lives that their father was a hero, that he saved lives. It's a great legacy for a father to leave his children.''
I think we train our young men for this whether they have had military training or not. Think of the countless times they have gone up to bat as a Little Leaguer...the fate of their team on their shoulders. Think of them knowing that they have to kick in that winning soccer ball. Think of them as the defenseman who must thwart off the challenging attackman who is charging for the net with the ball in his lacrosse or hockey stick. Think of them as the quarterback who must somehow, and against all odds, get that football to the receiver.
Whether in sports, academics, or business, our young men are trained to meet the challenges that they are given in the course of growing up and living in America. These men knew that this was the challenge of their lifetimes. May they rest in peace and may God bless their families.
I realize that the government is a far greater boogeyman than any "supposed terrorist" to a great deal of posters here on FR. However, could you suspend your little crusade for about a week (I know you won't) and just be an American? Also, please do not dishonor the sacrifice of the heros on this plane by posting your conspiracy theories. Even if every one of your theories on this flight is proven true, these guys were still heros. They deserve better than your snide comments.
If there were a fight for the controls of the aircraft, it is possible that the dynamic forces on the control surfaces were such that pieces began to fall off. It would be very helpful to know exactly what piece of the plane was recovered. Rudders, elevators, flaps, wingtips, etc. would suggest a fight by the passengers. Bits of the main fuselage would indicate a bomb or AA missile.
-ccm
BUMP!
The Medal of Freedom, perhaps???
I think they should be awarded the highest honor available, military or civilian.
Ok, since you posted it, I will elaborate. It became obvious to me that trying to eliminate any possible weapon on the plane is foolish to the extreme. All you are doing is insuring that trained fighters won't face any weapons. There are plenty of fast acting poisons that are pretty easily available. Any of these in a plastic hypodermic make a very effective weapon. Are we going to strip and body cavity search everyone to prevent these type of weapons from being aboard the plane? We can't, so it is best the rethink the whole policy, and understand that a "disarmed victim zone" is not the way to stop terrorists!
I thought an entirely separate but meaningful addendum would be to present to the next-of-kin of each passenger ... a US flag that was flying on Tuesday in our nation's capital. Who knows where the plane would have hit. Give them the flags from the White House, State Department, Congress, etc. Have senior administration officials visit the NOK and present the flag with a personal note from the President. Might not seem like much, but the families might treasure the flags.
I understand entirely, there's so much to read.
I agree, you are speaking of the Presidential Medal of Freedom I believe, and a USS Jeremy Glick and an USS Todd Beamer would be quite fitting as well.
I could see the Destroyers Beamer and Glick sailing alongside the carrier Ronald Reagan going to the Indian Ocean to do the work of patriots.
I have no doubt they did.
You've made me reflect, long and hard. I suppose we'd have to have a thread of altruism in us, to project our importance unto others.
Thanks!!!!!
P.S. You're an orphan from which storm??:-)
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