11 have become a global catchphrase of heroic defiance against terrorism the Airfone supervisor in Chicago who comforted him in his final moments remains tormented by those other voices. Jefferson cannot silence the haunting cries "the hollering and the screaming" that were the anguished background to her 13-minute conversation with United Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer before the hijacked plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania. My fellow Americans, let’s roll.” He would use them again in the 2002 State of the Union address: “For too long our culture has said, ‘If it feels good, do it.’ Now America is embracing a new ethic and a new creed: ‘ Let’s roll.Lisa D. “Some of our greatest moments have been acts of courage for which no one could have been prepared. Bush even referenced Beamer and his words in the 2002 State of the Union Address: Air Force put the words on at least one aircraft in every squadron. The words would soon be found on fire trucks, morale patches, and murals from coast to coast. Beamer’s words, “ Let’s Roll,” became a rallying cry for the American people, not only in the face of terrorism but in the face of fear itself. In the days that followed, Beamer’s words and the heroics of the passengers aboard flight 93 were revealed to news outlets across the country. “LetÕs Roll,” the now famous phrase United Airlines Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer uttered as he and fellow passengers foiled terrorist hijackers, bringing down the aircraft in a Pennsylvania field that fatal morning.Īt around 10:02 in the morning, a little more than an hour after the first plane hit the World Trade Center in New York City, United flight 93 crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania at more than 500 miles per hour. Let’s roll.” The B-52G Stratofortress, tail number 60-0002 of the 2d Bomb Wing (BW), Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, wears the official “Let’s Roll” September 11th commemorative nose art. After a few minutes of muffled voices, Jefferson heard Beamer tell an unknown passenger, “Are you ready? Okay. He then asked her to tell his family that he loved them. Beamer, along with passengers Mark Bingham, Tom Burnett, and Jeremy Glick formed a plan to recapture the aircraft by overwhelming the hijackers and then flying into the ground if they had to, knowing this meant they would likely all die.īeamer told United representative, Lisa Jefferson, of their plan, during the call. When the plane suddenly veered into a turn, the passengers decided they had enough. Todd Beamer, cool in the face of danger, informed the FBI that terrorists were carrying knives and one was potentially strapped with a bomb. They were sent to United customer service representatives, and the FBI was listening in. When they first started attempting to make the calls, however, they didn’t get right through to their loved ones at home. Through these secret calls, they all learned that planes had struck New York and, by then, the Pentagon in Washington. With the plane’s passengers secured, the hijackers took the aircraft to a new heading: straight for Washington, D.C.Īs people on board waited to learn their fate, some of the passengers tried to sneak phone calls to loved ones using air phones, which were widely available at the time. A few minutes later, the plane’s pilots received a message from the Cleveland tower: “beware of cockpit intrusion.”Ī few minutes after that, hijackers took control of United 93 and herded everyone into the back of the plane. His flight was just entering Pennsylvania. United flight 93 was only reaching cruising altitude when the first two planes hit the Twin Towers. 11, 2001, his work was taking him from his home in New Jersey to meet with clients in San Francisco. When he graduated, he got a good job with a major corporation and taught Sunday school in his spare time. He was a Christian and an athlete who studied business in college. He was born in Michigan to middle-class parents who moved around the country wherever their work took the family. In many ways, 32-year-old Todd Beamer was the quintessential American. ![]() military, American police officers, and firefighters around the world a new battle cry: “ Let’s Roll.” ![]() ![]() But his memory carried on, giving the U.S. With the 20-year anniversary of that tragic day, it’s important for us to look back and remember some of the heroes that emerged from the ashes of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Flight 93. One of those heroes was a civilian named Todd Beamer.īeamer died when United 93 crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 11, 2001, have seen a lot of changes in the cultural fabric of the United States and in the armed forces.
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