Lets roll

On 2001, September the 11th, on United Airlines Flight 93:

At 9:27am, Tom Burnett called his wife, reporting the hijacking. She informed him of the attack on the two towers, from which he concluded the hijackers intended to fly them into a building.

At 9:30am Sandy Bradshaw, flight attendant, called her husband:

“Have you seen what’s happening? Have you heard? We’ve been hijacked.”

They talked about their children, and told each other they loved each other.

At about 9:37am Jeremy Glick called from the plane to his wife to report the hijacking. He learns about the attack on the two towers, and realizes what the hijackers are planning.

Todd Beamer tried to call his wife, but could not get through. At 9:45 he found himself talking to Verizon Customer service. He tells them that one passenger is dead. He doesn’t know about the pilots. One hijacker is in the rear of the plane, claiming to have a bomb strapped to his body, blocking access to the hijackers in the cockpit. He tells the operator that they plan to jump the hijacker with the bomb.

“I know I’m not going to get out of this.”

At 9:47, Jeremy Glick called his wife again, and tells her that all the male passengers are going to rush the hijackers.

At 6:54am Thomas Burnett called his wife Deena Burnett again
“A group of us is going to do something,” he told Deena.

Deena told him, “No, Tom, just sit down and don’t draw attention to yourself.”

“Deena, if they’re going to crash the plane into the ground, we have to do something. We can’t wait for the authorities. We have to do something now. Pray, just pray, Deena. We’re going to do something,”

Sandy Bradshaw told her husband that she was boiling water to toss over the Islamic hijackers.

Todd Beamer tells the Verizon operator to sing the twenty third psalm, “The Lord is my Shepherd” with him.

In the background of Sandy Bradshaw’s call to her husband, some men preparing to die fighting were singing the twenty third Psalm.

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’ sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

Another passenger, Elizabeth Wainio was speaking to her stepmother.

At 9:59-10:00am Tod Beamer drops his phone. In the background, the Verizon operator hears him say to other people on board the plane “Are you ready guys? Let’s roll.”

Elizabeth Wainio tells her stepmother.

“I have to go. They’re about to storm the cockpit”

She hangs up without giving her stepmother a chance to reply.

Sarah Sandy Bradshaw’s tells her husband

We’re all running to first class

I’ve got to go. Bye.

She drops the phone, without hanging up.

Jeremy Glick, more optimistically, interrupts his 26-minute call to his wife, by saying:

Hold the line. I’ll be back.

These warriors took out the terrorist with a bomb without him having a chance to explode. Perhaps the boiling water disoriented him for long enough.

They then broke into the locked cockpit. During the struggle, the hijackers flew the plane towards the ground, indicating that the passengers were gaining control of the cockpit.  At the very end, just before the crash, the black box records people speaking in English about guiding the plane.

5 Responses to “Lets roll”

  1. “we’re all running to first class”

    That’ll unbalance a plane and cause a nose-dive. Did the black box record actual nose-dive input, or just a nose-dive?

  2. Leonard says:

    Thanks for the memorial of the only event this day’s history that I want to celebrate.

  3. Julie says:

    James–

    This is excellent, thanks. You wanna post it to I-S, or shall I?

    –J.

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