Special Feature
Shepherding Outdoors is not always about adventure. In fact, it’s rarely about adventure. I usually write about faith, family, and life lessons. Here’s an example… a few years ago I took Bay, our oldest daughter, to Washington, D.C. The Shepherding Outdoors effort was to learn about government and civics and freedom. We learned about history and patriotism, too. And most of all, we learned about courage and real American heroes.
On September 11, 2001, the quintessential American heroes revealed themselves over and over again. Countless stories of heroism came from the aftermath at the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. But the bravest of all, in my humble opinion, came from high above the carnage, on United Flight 93. You’ll recall that United Flight 93 departed from Newark, New Jersey in route to San Francisco. Forty-six minutes after take-off, four terrorists took control of the plane. A fifth would be terrorist, Mohammed al-Qahtani, had been denied entrance to the United States a month earlier; otherwise, he too would have been on that plane. His absence may have been what allowed four men the opportunity to become heroes. Tom Burnett, 38, told his wife, “We’re all going to die. There’s three of us who are going to do something about it.” Mark Bingham, 31, told the FBI, through his mother, that the hijackers claimed to have a bomb. The last words Jeremy Glick, 31, said to his spouse were, “We’re going to rush the hijackers.” But it was Todd Beamer, 32, who connected with a GTE supervisor while attempting to reach his pregnant wife, who calmly and decisively uttered the iconic phrase: “Are you guys ready? Let’s roll.”
“Let’s roll.” Oft repeated now as a battle cry, but Todd Beamer offered it otherwise. His tone was calm, collected, and matter of fact. Todd realized the men had to decide… die whilst immobilized by fear, and more people would die too. Or die as heroes and save lives. The choice was easy for Todd and the others. No discussion was needed; it simply was the right thing to do, no matter the sacrifice. For those of you who might be unfamiliar, seconds later, Todd and his team forced their way into the cockpit. Immediately after, the plane nose-dived into a field in Pennsylvania, never reaching its suspected target, the Capitol or the White House. Todd, Tom, Mark, and Jeremy all died that day. They left behind wives and children. A total of forty passengers and crew died in the crash. In truth, we don’t exactly know what happened inside that cockpit. The actual audio from the cockpit voice recorder has never been released to the public. It was played for the families of the passengers by the FBI, and it was offered as evidence against al-Qahtani for his role in helping to plan the attack. There is, though, a transcript of the recording that has been made public. What it reveals is a six-minute-long ordeal where those four heroes fought valiantly to break into the cabin and take back control of the plane. No one knows for certain exactly what happened, but the data tells us that the terrorist rolled the plane, pitched the nose, and slammed up and down, all in an effort to stall the heroes’ entry. The transcripts indicate that the heroes finally made entry into the cabin when one terrorist is heard repeatedly yelling, “Pull it down! Pull it down!” Seconds later, the plane crashed. Did the heroes save the passengers? No. But they saved countless others.
And because they are heroes, they are forever memorialized inside the United States Capitol. Though the nine and ½ foot tall bronze plaque in the East Front Vestibule near the Rotunda, and the recognition it gives, is hardly enough of a tribute, it is fitting that the very place where others would have died but for those heroes now celebrates their bravery and sacrifice. It reads: “In memory of the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, whose brave sacrifice on September 11, 2001, not only saved countless lives but may have saved the U.S. Capital from destruction.” And then it lists all of the crew and passengers by name. Todd’s daughter, Morgan, was born four months after he died. She, along with his wife, Lisa, and their two sons David and Drew, are Todd’s most valuable and important legacy, save perhaps his faith. Todd and Lisa taught Sunday school at Princeton Alliance Church for six years and worked in youth ministry. We may not be able to ever say thank you to Todd’s family or any of the other men, for that matter. But we can honor them. They were ordinary citizens, just like you and me. They died to help people, save people, and protect our country. We can learn from their example. “You’re your neighbor” and oppose evil. It’s a pretty simple motto, and if we’d all embrace it, instead of opposing one another, then these United States would truly be “one Nation under God.” Until then, thank you, Todd, Tom, Jeremy, and Mark. “Greater love hath no man than this, that man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Bay and I are ready. Are you? Let’s roll.
-Walt Merrell is a Christian Outdoorsman who writes of his adventures with his family, with the hope that others might be inspired and encouraged to embrace God’s tapestry, otherwise known as the great outdoors, as a means of finding Common Ground. You can follow him at Shepherding Outdoors on FB, YT and IG and at shepherdingoutdoors.com.
