The Passengers of Flight 93

People on Flight 93 make phone calls (http://www.wtv-zone.com/AttackonAmerica/Flight93/unitedflight93.html)

It was September 11th, 2001 when the twin towers in New York City where hit by airplanes. It was also the day that Flight 93 was hijacked. Thirty-three passengers and seven crew members died that day, but because of their courage and selflessness, hundreds of lives were saved. We’ll never know all of what really happened that day, but we do know that the plane never made it to its intended target: Washington DC. Even though it has been over eight years, we will never forget that day.

The plane held forty people. Mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandpas and grandmas. And they all died so that other people could be saved. Phone calls from passengers were short but when the passengers learned of attacks on the World Trade Center, they planned to take back the plane from the terrorists. When Tom Burnett heard from his wife about the attacks, he said, "Oh my God. It's a suicide mission" and ended saying, "Don't worry, we're going to do something." A phone call came from passenger Todd Beamer, who was trying to call his wife, but his phone call went through to Verizon supervisor Lisa Jefferson. The last thing that Beamer said before hanging up the phone was, “Let's Roll.”

Thanks to the quick action of these passengers, a tragic attack on Washington DC was prevented.

The passengers then took over the plane, which lost control and crashed into a field near Somerset PA. The plane hit the ground head first and it was completely destroyed. There were small pieces found, and the largest piece that was found was an engine… half a mile away. Other small pieces were found - some two, four and eight miles away. Most of the remains from the tragedy were never recovered and the fields have become a sacred burial ground for the families. It's believed that the struggle is what caused the plane to crash.

The passengers of flight 93 were: Jason Dahl, LeRoy Homer, Jr., Lorraine Bay, Sandra Bradshaw, Cee Cee Lyles and Wanda Green. Also on the plane were: Deborah Anne Jacobs Welsh, Christian Adams, Todd Beamer, Alan Beaven, Mark Bingham, Deora Bodley, Marion Britton, Thomas E. Burnett Jr., Willam Cashman, Georgine Rose Corrigan, Patricia Cushing, Joseph DeLuca, Patrick "Joe" Driscoll and Edward Porter Felt. Some others were: Jane Folger, Colleen L. Fraser, Andrew Garcia, Jeremy Glick, Lauren Grandcolas, Donald F. Greene, Linda Gronlund, Richard Guadagno, Toshiya Kuge, Hilda Marcin, Waleska Martinez, Nicole Miller, Louis J. Nacke II, Donald and Jean Peterson, Mark "Mickey" Rothenberg, Christine Snyder, John Talignani, Honor Elizabeth Wainio, and Kristin Gould White.

These people were incredible heroes, and we could all take a lesson from their book. Being a hero doesn't require wearing tight shorts, having a fancy name, or saving the day countless times. Being a hero just requires doing something that helps other people. You can risk your life to be a hero, or help an elderly person cross the road, either way, you are a hero to somebody. I believe that anyone can be a hero. There is a hero in all of us.

My idea to honor the passengers of flight 93 is to write letters. You can write a letter to the families of the people, and tell them how their family's stories inspired you. I know it might seem cheesy, but it will mean a lot to them that you actually show you care. And all it costs is about 50 cents for a stamp.