Let's roll,'' Flight 93 victim heard to say minutes before crash Pennsylvania field

AP ^ | September 16, 2001 | JOANN LOVIGLIO

[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.''

[SuziQ]

My family will be forever grateful to those men. If the next target was the Capitol, it could have killed my nephew who works in the building. My sister got him on the phone just before the plane hit the Pentagon. He was talking to her when he said he thought a plane had hit the Old Exec. Building. She yelled at him to get out and go home. He told her later they were evacuating at a steady pace, but then the Capitol Security Guard started yelling at them to run. I guess that's when they had gotten word there was a fourth plane.

My sister is worried now that these murderers might try to release toxins in the Capitol, and was astounded that tourists are still being allowed in the building! So we're all keeping Brian in our prayers, as well as all who live and work in our nation's capitol.

[futurepotus]

Nah. The FDR Memorial was, in my opinion, the best of all.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

It is people like this that make America such a great and strong nation.

God Bless America!
V is for VICTORY!

[BluH2o]

Bomb or not ... and I'd be surprised, in spite of lax security, that they would have managed to smuggle one aboard. After all, the intent was to crash the fuel laden aircraft into the WH or Capitol Building ... that was their weapon. I watched Cheney this AM with Russert and I got the distinct impression that aircraft would have been shot down prior to it reaching Washington. It was at least 40 minutes away which gave an intercept aircraft ample time to respond. The brave passengers saved a U.S. fighter pilot the terrible dilemma of having to fire a missile at Flight 93.

[Ruth A.]

Let us all remember that we must to the right thing at the right time whereever we are. Yes, the Freedom Medal of Honor for them and the rescue workers who died, too.

[Roscoe]

BUMP

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

I like it.

[JamminJAY]

Take note terrorists, like the rescue workers in N.Y. we Americans are not weak. We will sacrifice our self’s for another. I regret you had to do such an act to find out, but as our CIC said “you will hear from US.”.

God bless all the families and rescue workers.

Special thanks to those on flight 93. No greater gift, brothers.
You are our battle cry.

Jammer

[AgThorn]

Damn ... missed that! Thanks for the re-read, I guess I better not just scan in the future.

So our great airport security is somehow not catching the old "vest bombs" .... amazing.

Having just flown back from Minneapolis on Friday, after being delayed two extra days and having to reroute, I am very disappointed in the "spotty" airport security that is being rolled out.

In Seattle, you can't even get a plastic butter knife at the airport, in LA you can't come near the airport to pickup or drop off passengers. But in Minneapolis? After being scanned three times, twice via walkthrough and the third with a wand, I got through and went to the restaurant for a three hour wait for my flight. I was given a steak menu. I asked the waiter if I get a steak knife with the steak? He said certainly. And then he laughed knowing how absurd that was based on what we are going through and said "Yeah, one day they took all our knives away and the next they gave them back after running them through the x-ray." Like that makes the steak knifes safer or something.

Then, before getting on the plane, I went to the rest room and for the first time in any airport I see a plastic bio-waste disposable container stuck on the wall full of used hypodermic needles from Insulin users I assume. Now, if I was a terrorist, it sure would be an easy backup weapon to claim that this hypo containes AIDS tainted blood or something.

I just don't feel that the airports or the FAA has a clue on how to make us safer ... they seem to be doing everything to slow the airports down but seem to be missing a lot of "thought processes" of what they should be doing.

[AgThorn]

Damn ... missed that! Thanks for the re-read, I guess I better not just scan in the future.

So our great airport security is somehow not catching the old "vest bombs" .... amazing.

Having just flown back from Minneapolis on Friday, after being delayed two extra days and having to reroute, I am very disappointed in the "spotty" airport security that is being rolled out.

In Seattle, you can't even get a plastic butter knife at the airport, in LA you can't come near the airport to pickup or drop off passengers. But in Minneapolis? After being scanned three times, twice via walkthrough and the third with a wand, I got through and went to the restaurant for a three hour wait for my flight. I was given a steak menu. I asked the waiter if I get a steak knife with the steak? He said certainly. And then he laughed knowing how absurd that was based on what we are going through and said "Yeah, one day they took all our knives away and the next they gave them back after running them through the x-ray." Like that makes the steak knifes safer or something.

Then, before getting on the plane, I went to the rest room and for the first time in any airport I see a plastic bio-waste disposable container stuck on the wall full of used hypodermic needles from Insulin users I assume. Now, if I was a terrorist, it sure would be an easy backup weapon to claim that this hypo containes AIDS tainted blood or something.

I just don't feel that the airports or the FAA has a clue on how to make us safer ... they seem to be doing everything to slow the airports down but seem to be missing a lot of "thought processes" of what they should be doing.

[PoisedWoman]

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.

I burst out in sobs when I read this line. American men are so great, so strong, even after decades of being slammed by feminazis. God bless our brave, heroic men!

[smoking camels]

I will roll. I am going in. If you want to know what I mean read this peice by a friend of mine. Wrote a year ago but needs repeated. Copy and paste http://www.ncci.com/ncciweb/index.asp?resource=contacts

[Arleigh]

He was talking to her when he said he thought a plane had hit the Old Exec. Building. She yelled at him to get out and go home.

Does anyone know what happened at OEB? I heard reports that there was black smoke coming out of it around 10:00am that morning. I've talked to two people who said they saw this on TV. Have heard nothing since the 11th.

[jern]

I usually just post articles.. but here is how I look at it if I am Bin Laden. If 4 regular Americans took out my hi-jackers, just imagine when we open up our entire armed services on Afghanistan.

Also, most people don't realize, that the only people who hate the Taliban more than Americans, are the people of Afghanistan. There was a good special on CNN (3 weeks ago tonight) on how they won't let females of any age attend school. They are all in poverty etc. You would figure, given the chance, they would raise up Taliban and their oppressed regime.

[oneway]

after the operator told him about the morning's World Trade Center and Pentagon (news - web sites) attacks

This is the key and crucial point and moment in this report...after learning that they in all likelyhood would die, and that many others would die as well...without hesitation, calmly, and with certain death before them they acted...the paradigm had shifted, they were able to think out of the box...now most of America will think this way...and this, like Imperial Japan, was Bin Laddens fatal mistake.

It is safe to assume that all 4 planes contained individuals cut of the same cloth...that had they known...wouldnt have hesitated to attempt to regain control of the airfcraft, in an effort at the very least to save innocents on the ground, if not themselves...I have no doubt

[John Valentine]

As far as I know, the only debris which was found away from he immediate crash site was very lightweight, almost gossamer light, insulating material, found downwind. Crash experts have said publicly that this is very commonly found to happen in crashes.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Previous stories quoted other callers from the plane as reporting that the hijackers had announced that they had a bomb...

[gg188]

"Let's roll!!!!" - Todd Beamer

"At my signal, unleash hell." - Maximus in the movie Gladiator

[Storm Orphan]

You know, I think the hardest lesson in life is to realize that everyone else out there is as real and important as you are - that they aren't just extras in your life-script.

And this reminds us that there are no ordinary people. Each one was extraordinary long before they ever boarded that plane - we just never got to know them until they showed us just how far from ordinary they were.

That's something I'm reflecting on, anyway.