Rebel Yell said:

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Todd: Hello… Operator…listen to me…I can't speak very loud. This is an emergency. I'm a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco.. We have a situation here….Our plane has been hijacked…..can you understand me?

Lisa: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand… Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?

Todd: No

Lisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?

Todd: There are three that we know of.

Lisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?

Todd: Yes…. they don't have guns….they have knives they took over the plane with knives.

Lisa: Do you mean…like steak knives?

Todd: No, these are razor knives…like box cutters.

Lisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?

Todd: No…..I don't know. They sound like they're from the mid-east.

Lisa: Have they said what they want?

Todd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet.
He said that they were meeting these men's demands and returning to the airport… It was very broken English, and… I'm telling you…it sounded fake!

Lisa: Ok sir, please give me your name.

Todd: My name is Todd Beamer.

Lisa: Ok Todd….my name is Lisa…Do you know your flight number? If you can't remember, it's on your ticket.

Todd: It's United Flight 93.

Lisa: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?

Todd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up. front got into the cockpit somehow; there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He's got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.

Lisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?

Todd: No, the hijackers shut it behind them.

Lisa: Has anyone been injured?

Todd: Yes, ..they…they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There's been lots of shouting. We don't know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.

Lisa: Where is the 3rd hijacker now Todd?

Todd: He's near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn't noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane……….oh Jesus.. Help!

Lisa: Todd….are you ok? Tell me what's happening!

Todd: Hello…..We're going down….I think we're going to crash……Wait wait a minute. No, we're leveling off….we're ok. I think we may be turning around…..That's it we changed directions. Do you hear me….we're flying east again.

Lisa: Ok Todd…. What's going on with the other passengers?

Todd: Everyone is… really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center……Lisa is that true??

Lisa: Todd…..I have to tell you the truth…..it's very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.

Todd: Oh God help us!

Lisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack….and I'm afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.

Todd: Oh dear God. Dear God…….Lisa, will you do something for me?

Lisa: I'll try….if I can….Yes.

Todd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what's happened. Promise me you'll call..

Lisa: I promise I'll call.

Todd: Our home number is 201 353-1073…….You have the same name as my wife…Lisa….We've been married for 10 years. She's pregnant with our 3rd child. Tell her that I love her…….(choking up)..I'll always love her..(clearing throat) We have two boys.. David, he's 3 and Andrew, he's 1…..Tell them……(choking) tell them that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. (clearing throat again) Our baby is due January 12th…..I saw an ultra sound…..it was great….we still don't know if it's a girl or a boy………Lisa?

Lisa: (barely able to speak) I'll tell them, I promise Todd.

Todd: I'm going back to the groupif I can get back I will…

Lisa: Todd, leave this line open…are you still there?……

Lisa: (dials the phone..) Hello, FBI, my name is Lisa Jefferson, I'm a telephone supervisor for GTE. I need to report a terrorist hijacking of a United Airlines Flight 93….Yes I'll hold.

Goodwin: Hello, this is Agent Goodwin.. I understand you have a hijacking situation?

Lisa: Yes sir, I've been talking with a passenger, a Todd Beamer, on Flight 93 who managed to get to an air phone unnoticed.

Goodwin: Where did this flight originate, and what was its destination?

Lisa: The flight left Newark New Jersey at 8 A.M. departing for San Francisco. The hijackers took over the plane shortly after takeoff, and several minutes later the plane changed course it is now flying east.

Goodwin: Ms. Jefferson…I need to talk to someone aboard that plane. Can you get me thru to the planes phone?

Lisa: I still have that line open sir, I can patch you through on a conference call…hold a mo…..

Todd: Hello Lisa, Lisa are you there?

Lisa: Yes, I'm here. Todd, I made a call to the FBI, Agent Goodwin is on the line and will be talking to you as well.

Todd: The others all know that this isn't your normal hijacking. Jeremy called his wife again on his cell phone. She told him more about the World Trade Center and all.

Goodwin: Hello Todd. This is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. These terrorists sent two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the United States Capital Building.

Todd: I understand…hold on……I'll…….I'll be back..

Lisa: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington?

Goodwin: Not long ma'am. They changed course over Cleveland; they're approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away.

Todd: (breathing a little heavier) The plane seems to be changing directions just a little. It's getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic….We're not going to make it out of here. Listen to me….I want you to hear this….I have talked with the others….we have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers suicidal plot.

Lisa: Todd, what are you going to do?

Todd: We've hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker with the bomb. After we take him out, we'll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We'll get them….and we'll take them out. Lisa, …..will you do one last thing for me?

Lisa: Yes…What is it?

Todd: Would you pray with me?

They pray: Our father which art in Heaven

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive our trespassers,

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory

Forever…..Amen

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…

He makes me to lie down in green pastures

He leads me beside the still waters

He restores my soul

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for His name's sake

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…..

Todd: (softer) God help me…Jesus help me….(clears throat and louder)

Are you guys ready?……..

Let's Roll……………………

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Thanks for posting. True heroes, every one

WOW. I've never seen this. That is a gut punch and makes me as proud of anyone...maybe ever.

Just incredible.

And one thing that hasn't been said so far is some credit to Lisa. Some random GTE call supervisor and she handled herself really well too

DannyDuberstein said:

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Just incredible.

And one thing that hasn't been said so far is some credit to Lisa. Some random GTE operator and she handled herself really well too

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Absolutely. Noticed that too. Notice how intelligent her questions are and reactions. Twenty years later it might have been more mis-handled.

Its a pity the identity of Todd's group can't be fully known, though there are important clues for one of the other men it seems. That unknown stewardess is a real heroine too --- its pretty obvious her stunt succeeded ;there is a good image of the hijackers screaming with the boiling water and falling against controls and the nose-dive resulting. Something like that must have happened.

I assume many of you have seen the United 93 movie. If you haven't, I encourage you to. Just incredibly well done. Tastefully done and truly puts you there with what these passengers, check that, what these heroes likely experienced. I can't even describe what I felt the first time I saw it. Obviously I knew the story already, but I was totally drained and gutted after it.

In mere moments, Todd & several others went through the following transformation, without training: biz person, husband/wife, father/mother, soldier, American Hero. I find it perfect that the first strike against terrorists in the war on terror, post 911, was conducted by what i consider the finest American Citizens. May God Bless their families.

First time I've read this. This guy saved the Whitehouse or Capital.

Hate to say it but before today I didn't know him. I knew the story of Flight 93 but didn't know it was this guy. He needs a memorial at or near whitehouse or capitol building. Everybody in America should know of him

titan said:

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Its a pity the identity of Todd's group can't be fully known, though there are important clues for one of the other men it seems. That unknown stewardess is a real heroine too

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Pulled off Wiki and the original source is locked to me so couldn't check for myself but at least some have been identified.

Quote:

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They were joined by other passengers, including Lou Nacke, Rich Guadagno, Alan Beaven, Honor Elizabeth Wainio, Linda Gronlund, and William Cashman, along with flight attendants Sandra Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles, in discussing their options and voting on a course of action, ultimately deciding to storm the cockpit and take over the plane

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It's also a damn shame that so few Americans today know this man:



Yet most can easily spot George Floyd in a picture.

105.3 The Fan in Dallas just did a segment on this that makes me think one of them may lurk here. Good on them.

Todd Beamer should be a household name. Easily top 10 American hero of the last 50 years.

God have mercy on his soul, and bless his family. I hope his children are consoled by the heroism of the father they didn't get to grow up with.

dreyOO said:

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I'm amazed people don't all know the people and stories of United 93 better. Maybe it's an age thing, but I agree that it should be a compulsory history requirement across the US. Just like the Alamo is for all Texans.

Anyhow, I will always be thankful to those brave Americans that fought back. God bless them.

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America is too busy being taught about this hero's white privilege to worry about an actual history lesson.

Lisa Beamer spoke at Wheaton College yesterday. She and Todd graduated from there and all three of their kids play(ed) sports there. Seems like she did a great job raising the kids after their dad died.

BE THE MAN.

TODD BEAMER WAS AND IS THE MAN.

FOREVER.

Stasco said:

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Todd Beamer should be a household name. Easily top 10 American hero of the last 50 years.

God have mercy on his soul, and bless his family. I hope his children are consoled by the heroism of the father they didn't get to grow up with.

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In my opinion, the passengers on United 93 who we know for sure rushed the cockpit, immediately became drafted into our military on the spot, and took decisive action.

If there was ever a case for civilians to be given the Medal of Honor, this is it.