Mark Bingham

Hero Essay

         The plane sirens blaring, as a massive fight breaks out in first class. The civilians rush to the cockpit with anything they can carry that will defeat the hijackers and their knives. As blood floods the plane, it starts going lower and lower and ends with a bang. Mark Bingham’s life was filled with adversity and doubt, but on the fateful day on 9-11, he proved to everyone that he could overcome his hardships. Mark Bingham is a bit different from other people, he is gay but that doesn’t change the heroism of his actions. He was a 31-year-old businessman who helped bring down one of the 4 hijacked planes destined to ruin 4 important buildings in the U.S. His mom Alice Hoagland raised him as a single parent, and he was a quiet child who played rugby. He joined his high school rugby team and was good enough to play for UC Berkeley's rugby team. After he went to college, he admitted he was gay during a car ride with his mother. He then started a business and met Mark Wilhelm, who became his lover. On 9-11 he was late for his flight, but boarded the plane. This was the last time anyone would see him, or anyone, on the plane again. Real heroes can be different from others, but their unique characteristics help them become the important people they turn into. Mark Bingham was a hero on 9/11, and the qualities that he possessed, like Courage and Selflessness, helped him save the White House and hundreds of lives making his name respected throughout different communities and the country.

Mark Binham Quoteown words         The hero Mark Bingham possessed many qualities, but his selflessness and bravery during his life and 9-11 let him save many lives and become a hero.  Mark Bingham was the leader of the attack on the hijackers and his selfless sacrifice made a huge impact on the battle in the air. “The victims of Flight 93 have been heralded as citizen soldiers who, when faced with the-unimaginable circumstances, gave their own lives to save thousands of others. Mark, meanwhile, has been singled out by the media as the ‘gay hero.’”(Barrett, Jon) Mark Bingham helped citizen-soldiers save the lives of many and just because Mark is gay doesn’t change the importance of his actions. He may have left us on earth, but his selflessness will never be forgotten even after his death.  His heroic actions have impacted our country and his actions on Flight 93 made him known as the “gay hero” His selfless sacrifice is one of the traits that a hero has and Mark Bingham showed his qualities on the historic flight. Mark’s always wanted to help in his gay community. “Good rugby players. Good partiers. Good sports. Good men. … We have the opportunity to let these other athletes know that gay men were around all along — on their little league teams, in their classes, being their friends. This is a great opportunity to change many people's minds.”(Sullivan, Randall) He was the captain of his rugby team and helped his friends who were getting bullied or sad. He made them a better person which made him popular and well-known throughout his community.  Mark Bingham used his power as a rugby captain to raise awareness about his gay community to others instead of misusing it. This shows Mark was not a power hungry person, but someone who wanted to help others. He switched the views of other non-gay people and helped them understand that being gay didn’t make them different. Mark revealed his selflessness through his actions and helped the gay community gain more love and compassion from other sources. The actions and sacrifice of Mark Bingham make him a hero and selfless person. He helps others in his community as well as other non-gay people, but he treats them as similar. Flight 93 and his rugby team have something in common, they both have a selfless leader who would take a blow for his people. Mark uses his power wisely and makes sure that every person is heard in his community making him a selfless hero.

Actions before Mark's DeathOwn works        Mark Bingham wasn’t just selfless, but he was courageous. He was always the first one to fight and his experience in different sports fueled his energy and courage. Mark Bingham’s courage was always displayed throughout his life, but on 9-11 he surprised others by his courageous actions. “The hijackers commandeering the cockpit had to be right in front of Mr. Bingham as he sat in seat 4D in first class. Those who remembered him fighting off an armed mugger knew he was a man of action, never one to back away from a confrontation.”(Nieves, Evelyn) Bingham stepped right into action and fought an armed mugger with his bare hands. He is 6’5 which helps him, but he has the courage in him that makes him different from other heroes on the plane. “Mark took a deep breath and said, ‘Mom, there's something I promised myself I'd tell you before the sun went down.’ I thought he was going to tell me he'd gotten some girl pregnant. And when he said, ‘I'm gay,’ the whole world dropped away.”(Sullivan, Randall) When Mark reveals to his mom that he is gay, that takes a lot of courage. Coming out of the closet can take many years, and he has the courage to do so. His mom and friends know he is but don’t treat him any (differently) than before.

        Mark Bingham’s courage is depicted on 9-11 on Flight 93. He was the leader of the passengers and helped them overtake the hijackers on the flight. Mark Bingham was an amazing unknown hero during 9-11 attacks. He was a leader in their rebellion against the hijackers and helped bring down the plane in Pennsylvania. This was 20 minutes from the White House but his courage and selflessness helped save the White House and more deaths than what had already happened. He led a battalion of passengers to rebel against the muggers and saved many people. He caused the plane to crash in Pennsylvania using his leadership to lead them. He overtook the 4 hijackers and saved many people. I think he is an important person in the community and helps spread awareness to unknown heroes around the world. He graduated from Berkeley and was a successful man, but he sacrificed his successful life to save more than he could imagine.  Mark Bingham is an amazing person who was a combination of many good qualities. He may be gay, but he was good at rugby, had good friendships and was not selfish. He was a friendly person and didn’t let other homophobes impact his decisions. His courage and selflessness make him an inspiration to people which therefore makes him a hero. Mark's selfless sacrifice helps our community grow stronger with each day that passes and his name will always be remembered as a 9-11 hero.