Patriot Day

Todd Beamer, a sales rep for Oracle software, normally took an evening flight before making a sales call.  But on this particular day he was more tired than usual.  So he boarded United Airlines Flight 93 in Newark, NJ hoping to get some rest while flying to California on business.  The date was Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

            Back home his wife, Lisa, and their two sons, David and Drew, were busy going about their daily routine.  Lisa never turned on the television during the day, so she was oblivious to what was happening in the world on that fateful morning.  Suddenly, the phone rang.  A close friend had called, telling her about the hijacked planes and the World Trade Center attacks.  Lisa turned on the television just as a reporter broke the news about a plane that had been headed for San Francisco had just crashed in a rural area of Pennsylvania.  Lisa knew immediately it was Todd’s plane.

            Stories began to circulate about passengers on the doomed Flight 93 calling home to say goodbye to loved ones, discussing plans to try to overwhelm the hijackers.  But Lisa never received a call from Todd.  Grief gripped her heart as she sensed there was no hope for survival for any of the passengers.

            On Sept. 15, four days after the terrorist attacks, Lisa was contacted by an Airfone operator in Chicago named Lisa Jefferson.  Jefferson told her that Todd had used the plane’s Airfone but for some reason the call did not get through to Lisa.  Jefferson recounted how Todd told her there were four hijackers with knives; 33 passengers, and 7 flight crew members.  The passengers were discussing ways to overpower the hijackers. 

            In an apparent effort to thwart these plans, the hijackers had sent the plane diving and swerving to try to knock the passengers off their feet. 

            Jefferson told Lisa that Todd had talked about his family and had asked her to call them if he did not make it home.  Then Todd asked Jefferson to pray with him, and together over the phone they recited the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd Psalm.  Then Jefferson heard him say: “Are you guys ready?  Let’s roll!” 

            There were sounds of struggle, then nothing.

            Once again the tears of grief came flooding over Lisa as she thanked Jefferson and hung up the phone.  Her husband, Todd, had led a group of passengers in a heroic bid to overpower their hijackers and the resulting crash in a Pennsylvania field likely spared the White House. You can read the entire story in Lisa Beamer’s book titled “Let’s Roll!: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage.”

            This Thursday is Patriot Day, marking the 24th anniversary of when terrorists hijacked four airplanes and attacked the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the United States of America.  We must never forget the nearly 3,000 innocent people who lost their lives nor the grace of God that was poured out in the midst of our nation’s darkest hour. 

            On Patriot Day, the U.S. flag is be flown at half-staff and Americans observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 A.M. (Eastern Daylight Time) marking the first plane crash into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. 

            This Thursday, let’s also show our support for the dedicated men and women of our armed forces and first responders who continually risk their lives for others.  Daily, they see trouble and say like Todd Beamer said, “Let’s roll!” 

May we unite together as a nation, pray to God for His protection, and look to the future with faith and hope. 

Rev. Doug Johnson, Senior Pastor, Lexington First Assembly of God in Lexington, KY.

www.LexingtonFirst.org