thedrifter
04-08-03, 07:46 AM
04-07-2003
Flight 93 and the War with Iraq
As Americans continue to debate the pros and cons of the war against Iraq, it is important to remember how we got there.
To me, the ongoing war is one part of a continuum that started on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when a New Jersey businessman named Todd Beamer, onboard the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93, ended a GTE Airphone conversation with a company supervisor in Illinois by telling her the passengers were going to attempt to retake the aircraft. His last words to her were, “Let’s roll!”
The story of Todd Beamer and the other heroes of 9/11 must be remembered. First, it highlights the story of ordinary Americans placed into extraordinary circumstances, and their selfless courage in overcoming these circumstances. Second, it reminds Americans that we are all targets of this different kind of warfare, which requires different strategies for victory.
The various stories of Flight 93 begin with Todd Beamer contacting Lisa Jefferson, a GTE customer service employee is Oakbrook, Illinois. Other passengers were in contact with loved ones via on-board telephones and cellular phones. Many of these people rendered situation reports that would have done military scouts proud.
At first, they thought they faced a “normal” hijacking in which the plane would land somewhere. They thought the terrorists would make some demands, and then they could get on with their lives. However, as they learned of the other hijackings they understood they were part of this plan.
They decided not to become victims, but to take some action that would save the lives of others even at the risk of losing their own. Some of them had military or law enforcement experience, others did not, yet they performed like troopers. In a short amount of time they formulated and executed a plan that saved a high profile target in Washington, D.C.
None of the many accounts of Flight 93 show that passengers felt dealing with the terrorists was “not my job.” There are no reports that the hijack victims blamed America for their plight. No one thought about who was a Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, or how it would affect their stock portfolio. Instead, all social and ethnic divisions were ignored and their only concern was their mission.
However, in the handful of minutes they had to telephone loved ones, it is clear that they did think of their families, and many turned to their religious faith. Jefferson recalled that she and Beamer – a Sunday school teacher in his home town of Cranbury, N.J. – said the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd Psalm together.
Armed only with boiling water and raw courage, they attacked the three armed terrorists, but in the act of overpowering them, Flight 93 crashed into an open field in Pennsylvania. Speculation is that their sacrifice saved either the White House, the Capitol Building, or maybe another attack on the Pentagon.
These are not the only unsung heroes of 9/11, and sadly, not all their stories can be told in this limited space. In the World Trade Center, ordinary employees assisted others in exiting the inferno. Some of them lost their lives when they reentered these burning buildings.
Who can forget the hundreds of fire fighters, police officers and other emergency workers who entered the towers shortly before they collapsed? No one would have blamed them if they had remained outside, but they answered a higher call of duty. Their comrades, who survived the crash, had no time for grief as they struggled to perform their duties.
Sometimes forgotten is the attack on the Pentagon, thankfully not as deadly as it could have been. Yet, almost immediately rescue missions began as employees searched amidst the destruction for friends. As in New York, emergency services personnel entered the destruction to bring out those trapped inside.
Though under attack, the Pentagon had to continue its mission as the simultaneous hijackings required prompt military action. Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld and the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered forces on alert, establishing fighter cover and naval air defense capabilities to protect other potential targets. In the best military tradition, these employees, military and civilian, executed their global missions while under fire.
Again, from both New York and Washington, the detailed news accounts reveal no blaming of America or the president. Those involved made no distinctions among themselves regarding political or class differences. The early display of “Old Glory” at both sites tells the story of their dedication better than any words.
But as time went on and 9/11 receded into the past, even as we waged a successful retaliatory campaign against al Qaeda in Afghanistan, too many Americans appeared to forget the tragedies of that beautiful September morning. The news media, considering footage of the attacks too graphic, has all but stopped replaying those images. Forgotten too are the pictures of people jumping to their deaths from the burning World Trade Center towers. Also forgotten are the long-term health effects of the attack on those who survived.
The media has also stopped replaying images of people in the Middle East celebrating this tragedy.
It sometimes is difficult not to conclude that there is a deliberate attempt to hide the continuing terrorist threat. Also no longer mentioned is that these organizations ignore the rules of war, as well as the common decency among human beings.
Finally, it appears that many commentators and politicians no longer recognize that it is the duty of our national leaders to develop and execute strategies for preventing future terrorist attacks. The 9/11 attacks changed the rules, and we must change our attitudes to safeguard our peace and security. We no longer have the luxury of allowing these villains the first move – we saw the results of that on 9/11.
Thus, President Bush unveiled his strategy of pre-emptive action against states that sponsor terrorists, and only a few months later he has taken action against a terrorist regime.
Is the pre-emptive strike a perfect strategy? No. But waiting for the next “smoking gun” is far worse.
Half a world away, U.S. and British troops are executing this revolutionary strategy with grim determination. Many have lost their lives, and many others have been wounded as they push forward to tougher battles. Once again, those facing the greatest danger have neither the time or inclination to define themselves by ideological or class differences.
Reports of their discoveries of terrorist training facilities, weapons of mass destruction projects, and outright brutality confirm the nature of our enemy. One report revealed the discovery of documents naming terrorists already positioned in the United States.
Imagine those terrorists, armed with Saddam’s latest weaponry, executing future 9/11 strikes. We owe it to the memory of the victims of the attacks to do everything possible to prevent future tragedies. We also owe it to the heroes, like Todd Beamer, so that their sacrifices will not have been in vain.
The war against terrorism will not be easy, nor free of costs, yet we must triumph, because failure is not an option. Furthermore, we must take the war where the evidence leads us. The heroes of 9/11 set the example with their determination. I am proud to see it being continued by the troops of the 3rd Infantry Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Royal Marines, 1st Armoured Division and others.
The war that started with Todd Beamer’s call, “Let’s Roll,” is now continuing in the downtown streets of Baghdad.
William F. Sauerwein is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mono@gtec.com.
Sempers,
Roger
Flight 93 and the War with Iraq
As Americans continue to debate the pros and cons of the war against Iraq, it is important to remember how we got there.
To me, the ongoing war is one part of a continuum that started on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when a New Jersey businessman named Todd Beamer, onboard the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93, ended a GTE Airphone conversation with a company supervisor in Illinois by telling her the passengers were going to attempt to retake the aircraft. His last words to her were, “Let’s roll!”
The story of Todd Beamer and the other heroes of 9/11 must be remembered. First, it highlights the story of ordinary Americans placed into extraordinary circumstances, and their selfless courage in overcoming these circumstances. Second, it reminds Americans that we are all targets of this different kind of warfare, which requires different strategies for victory.
The various stories of Flight 93 begin with Todd Beamer contacting Lisa Jefferson, a GTE customer service employee is Oakbrook, Illinois. Other passengers were in contact with loved ones via on-board telephones and cellular phones. Many of these people rendered situation reports that would have done military scouts proud.
At first, they thought they faced a “normal” hijacking in which the plane would land somewhere. They thought the terrorists would make some demands, and then they could get on with their lives. However, as they learned of the other hijackings they understood they were part of this plan.
They decided not to become victims, but to take some action that would save the lives of others even at the risk of losing their own. Some of them had military or law enforcement experience, others did not, yet they performed like troopers. In a short amount of time they formulated and executed a plan that saved a high profile target in Washington, D.C.
None of the many accounts of Flight 93 show that passengers felt dealing with the terrorists was “not my job.” There are no reports that the hijack victims blamed America for their plight. No one thought about who was a Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, or how it would affect their stock portfolio. Instead, all social and ethnic divisions were ignored and their only concern was their mission.
However, in the handful of minutes they had to telephone loved ones, it is clear that they did think of their families, and many turned to their religious faith. Jefferson recalled that she and Beamer – a Sunday school teacher in his home town of Cranbury, N.J. – said the Lord’s Prayer and the 23rd Psalm together.
Armed only with boiling water and raw courage, they attacked the three armed terrorists, but in the act of overpowering them, Flight 93 crashed into an open field in Pennsylvania. Speculation is that their sacrifice saved either the White House, the Capitol Building, or maybe another attack on the Pentagon.
These are not the only unsung heroes of 9/11, and sadly, not all their stories can be told in this limited space. In the World Trade Center, ordinary employees assisted others in exiting the inferno. Some of them lost their lives when they reentered these burning buildings.
Who can forget the hundreds of fire fighters, police officers and other emergency workers who entered the towers shortly before they collapsed? No one would have blamed them if they had remained outside, but they answered a higher call of duty. Their comrades, who survived the crash, had no time for grief as they struggled to perform their duties.
Sometimes forgotten is the attack on the Pentagon, thankfully not as deadly as it could have been. Yet, almost immediately rescue missions began as employees searched amidst the destruction for friends. As in New York, emergency services personnel entered the destruction to bring out those trapped inside.
Though under attack, the Pentagon had to continue its mission as the simultaneous hijackings required prompt military action. Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld and the Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered forces on alert, establishing fighter cover and naval air defense capabilities to protect other potential targets. In the best military tradition, these employees, military and civilian, executed their global missions while under fire.
Again, from both New York and Washington, the detailed news accounts reveal no blaming of America or the president. Those involved made no distinctions among themselves regarding political or class differences. The early display of “Old Glory” at both sites tells the story of their dedication better than any words.
But as time went on and 9/11 receded into the past, even as we waged a successful retaliatory campaign against al Qaeda in Afghanistan, too many Americans appeared to forget the tragedies of that beautiful September morning. The news media, considering footage of the attacks too graphic, has all but stopped replaying those images. Forgotten too are the pictures of people jumping to their deaths from the burning World Trade Center towers. Also forgotten are the long-term health effects of the attack on those who survived.
The media has also stopped replaying images of people in the Middle East celebrating this tragedy.
It sometimes is difficult not to conclude that there is a deliberate attempt to hide the continuing terrorist threat. Also no longer mentioned is that these organizations ignore the rules of war, as well as the common decency among human beings.
Finally, it appears that many commentators and politicians no longer recognize that it is the duty of our national leaders to develop and execute strategies for preventing future terrorist attacks. The 9/11 attacks changed the rules, and we must change our attitudes to safeguard our peace and security. We no longer have the luxury of allowing these villains the first move – we saw the results of that on 9/11.
Thus, President Bush unveiled his strategy of pre-emptive action against states that sponsor terrorists, and only a few months later he has taken action against a terrorist regime.
Is the pre-emptive strike a perfect strategy? No. But waiting for the next “smoking gun” is far worse.
Half a world away, U.S. and British troops are executing this revolutionary strategy with grim determination. Many have lost their lives, and many others have been wounded as they push forward to tougher battles. Once again, those facing the greatest danger have neither the time or inclination to define themselves by ideological or class differences.
Reports of their discoveries of terrorist training facilities, weapons of mass destruction projects, and outright brutality confirm the nature of our enemy. One report revealed the discovery of documents naming terrorists already positioned in the United States.
Imagine those terrorists, armed with Saddam’s latest weaponry, executing future 9/11 strikes. We owe it to the memory of the victims of the attacks to do everything possible to prevent future tragedies. We also owe it to the heroes, like Todd Beamer, so that their sacrifices will not have been in vain.
The war against terrorism will not be easy, nor free of costs, yet we must triumph, because failure is not an option. Furthermore, we must take the war where the evidence leads us. The heroes of 9/11 set the example with their determination. I am proud to see it being continued by the troops of the 3rd Infantry Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Royal Marines, 1st Armoured Division and others.
The war that started with Todd Beamer’s call, “Let’s Roll,” is now continuing in the downtown streets of Baghdad.
William F. Sauerwein is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mono@gtec.com.
Sempers,
Roger