9.11.2001

[EastMT]

this is a very long post of the transcript of Todd Beamer before they attempted to take the plane back, knowing they were not headed back to the airport, and were going to give it the best shot they could, gut wrenching.

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 group—if 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……………………

(Shared by Ann Henry)

 

[FLATHEAD]

Damn.

 

[long hunter]

True patriot.

 

[TripleJ]

Thank you for posting that @coop22250 I’ve never seen that whole transcript, only small pieces of it. That hit me right in the feels.

I was on my way to work that morning 20 years ago, listening to the radio. I heard about a plane hitting one of the towers and remember thinking what a strange accident that must have been. I got to work just in time to hear about the second one and realized how what had seemed like a crazy accident was actually an act of war. I remember sitting at home that night with my wife and our then 1 year old son, holding him and wondering what kind of messed up world we had brought a child into.

 

[Lelder]

I was in math class my senior year another teacher comes in turns on the tv and we watched the second plane hit the tower. I’m reading that transcript and tears are streaking down my face. I can’t imagine having that conversation

 

[EastMT]

I was in math class my senior year another teacher comes in turns on the tv and we watched the second plane hit the tower. I’m reading that transcript and tears are streaking down my face. I can’t imagine having that conversation

Yeah I don’t know how you keep dry eyes if you watched it live. If you are 20 years old and it doesn’t effect you as much I understand, but thinking as being in his shoes is brutal.

 

[Texasbuckeye]

I worked at Andrews AFB outside DC that year, and had left for San Antonio two days before to interview for the Ophthalmology residency program in the USAF (was active duty at the time). Missed my flight sunday due to a traffic jam on the loop and got to the airport with about 15 minutes before flight took off and they wouldn’t let me board (for those who dont know, it was common back then to arrive just 15-20 minutes before the flight and get on the plane) got into SA without luggage Monday around 5am. Was pretty pissed about all the happenings of the airlines and was ready to fire off a letter to American Airlines about how i was mistreated by them and they made me miss a days worth of interviews because i had to drive from Dallas to SA and by the time i got there the airport was closed and my luggage was locked up.
My attitude changed tuesday sept 11, 2001. I was driving from Lackland AFB to spend the day at Brooke Army Medical Center on Ft Sam Houston (north SA) and radio said a small plane hit one of the towers. Thought that was weird and maybe was not an accident but stranger things have happened. When i got to BAMC and made my way to the ophtho dept, it wasnt long before the second plane hit. We all knew this was the real deal, and our lives were changed. The base went on lock down, no one in, no one out. So all we could do was sit and watch the news. All the rumors that swirled were interesting. It took me a while to get through to my wife since the phone system in DC was just overwhelmed. We lived well outside the metro so she was fine, but we knew the gravity of what happened. The base finally opened and i left for my hotel.
the next morning i went to drive onto lackland and made it to the parking lot of the hotel to see a line of traffic miles long, turned my rental around and walked to base. The security was doing full on vehicle checks, easily 15-20 minutes per. People trickled into the base, was very surreal. I ended up having breakfast with the program director, helped another Col do some post ops (i had no idea what i was doing, but i was a willing body) and i credit that day to getting my ophtho residency and setting my career path. As people came in most had their deployment bags, fully expecting to be sent to NYC or DC to help with eye injuries…they never were sent.
i flew home the first day flights were allowed. Three flights from SA to dallas were consolidated into one and it was still not half filled. At DFW there was a bomb threat at the airport and we had to be evacuated twice. I could tell the flight attendants were pretty shaken, and i flashed them my military ID and gave a knowing nod to say nothing was going to go down on this flight. I know and saw several others do the same. I finally made it into baltimore washington airport around 2am and the pilots must have been from there because they wanted to he there as much as i did. Very surreal expereince.

at the hospital on andews, several of my colleagues were seeing patients in the AM of sept 11 wih their attending, and watched the plane hit the pentagon. The atrending’s husband worked there, and she knew right away the plane hit where he worked. She literally just left the hospital, leaving the patients and the residents by themselves. Her husband was killed. Several of the senior doctors/attendings at andrews went to the pentagon or were there for business that day, several saved lives with emergency care.
Sept 11, 2001, a day i wont forget.

 

[longspeak74]

I was hiking across Isle Royale and didn't know anything happened until a week after. Read the newspaper articles on the ferry ride back across Lake Superior.

 

[go_deep]

If I knew it was likely my final hour, I just hope I could be as brave as Todd was!
True American Hero!!!

 

[Ross]

Was elk hunting north Idaho and two guys pulled up and said we are being attacked…listened to their radio on what had occurred…sad day

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I'm still really pissed.

 

[BroodBuster]

I heard it on the radio while in route to a class at the Boeing Renton plant. The class was being taught by a vendor who couldn’t figure out why a class of Boeing employees would be so distraught over something that happened in NY. WTF! We all walked out after about an hour of her nonsense.

The next day back on the 767 line was easily the worst day I’ve had in a 30+ year career. I physically can’t write out the details it still pisses me off so much.

What I’ll always remember was the silence. No flight tests. No engine runs. No rivet guns. Nothing. Just silence.

 

[Lelder]

The wife and I starting watching the 6 episode series that National Geographic just did ( it’s on Hulu) about 9/11, the videos and interviews are tough to watch and listen too.
One of the firefighters said that he didn’t see a way that they (the firefighters) would survive the rescue attempts, so they took off their helmets and gloves and shook hands saying to each other how great it was to know them and be friends. Then they proceeded to go up the floors evacuating people and ultimately meeting their fate… I am so proud that fearless men like that exist in this great country. RIP

 

[eye_zick]

09/11/2001 - My 18th birthday.

I was moving hand lines for a farmer in SE Idaho like I had been all summer. That morning no one showed to help me and it took me way too long to finish. I knew school was already supposed to have started. When I got home, I saw my brothers car was still home (my brothers and I drove to high school every day). When I walked in the door they were still waiting for me and I was exasperated they weren't even ready. They told me to look at the TV and within a second I watched as the South Tower was struck by a plane.

We eventually made it to school and watched channel one all day in every period.

I'll never forget watching people jump from the north tower. I cried in Spanish class.

Never Forget?



"Are you guys ready? Lets roll" Todd Beamer.

 

[coldchow]

09/11/2001 - My 18th birthday.

I was moving hand lines for a farmer in SE Idaho like I had been all summer. That morning no one showed to help me and it took me way too long to finish. I knew school was already supposed to have started. When I got home, I saw my brothers car was still home (my brothers and I drove to high school every day). When I walked in the door they were still waiting for me and I was exasperated they weren't even ready. They told me to look at the TV and within a second I watched as the South Tower was struck by a plane.

We eventually made it to school and watched channel one all day in every period.

I'll never forget watching people jump from the north tower. I cried in Spanish class.

Never Forget?

View attachment 326070

"Are you guys ready? Lets roll" Todd Beamer.

I was driving off a mountain in Colorado after a successful archery hunt for elk. Out of boredom i turned on the radio sometime after the first plane hit. After the 2nd plane hit news of the attack was on every radio station i could pick up. I listened to nothing but radio reports and commentary for the next 12 hours, then stopped at a hotel. Finally got to watch TV for a couple hours before sleep. A day I'll never forget.