9.11.2006

Never Forget


Thanks to my friend Hick at Bee-mused in the Country. I could not have said it better.













Todd Beamer...One of the Heros of Flight 93

"We do know the final thoughts and words of Todd Beamer, a 32-year-old Oracle Corporation account manager from Cranbury, N.J., with a wife and two young sons (and a third child on the way), who was travelling to California for a September 11 business meeting on Flight 93. Somehow, Beamer's cell phone call from Flight 93 was routed to Lisa Jefferson, a supervisor with the GTE Customer Center in Oakbrook, Illinois. As Mrs. Jefferson proceeded down the checklist in GTE's "distress call" manual, Beamer relayed the details of their situation: number of passengers, number of hijackers, weapons carried by the hijackers, etc. As reported in Newsweek's "The Real Story of Flight 93," Beamer's last words to Lisa Jefferson included a recitation of the Lord's Prayer:

Up to this moment, Beamer had been all business. "Lisa," he said suddenly. "Yes?" responded Jefferson. "That's my wife," said Beamer. "Well that's my name, too, Todd," said Jefferson. "Oh, my God," said Beamer. "I don't think we're going to get out of this thing. I'm going to have to go out on faith." Jefferson tried to comfort him. "Todd," she said, "you don't know that." Beamer asked her to promise to call his wife if he didn't make it home. He told her about his little boys and the new baby on the way. Then he said that the passengers were going to try to jump the hijackers. "Are you sure that's what you want to do, Todd?" asked Jefferson. "It's what we have to do," he answered. He asked her to pray with him. Beamer kept a Lord's Prayer bookmark in his Tom Clancy novel, but he didn't need any prompting. He began to recite the litany, and she joined him:


Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.


"Jesus help me," Beamer said. He recited the 23d Psalm. Then Jefferson heard him say:

"Are you guys ready? Let's roll."

1 Comments:

Blogger Karen Schmautz said...

You made me cry.

Thanks.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006 9:20:00 AM  

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