"In the cockpit! If we don't, we'll all die!"

The movie United 93 (available on Amazon Prime video) depicts what happened on September 11th, 2001 with chilling accuracy. In the scene, a voice can be heard crying out those words-

"In the cockpit! If we don't, we'll all die!"

It is heard in the movie and I saw it inscribed on a wall at the Flight 93 memorial when I visited earlier this year. It is ascribed to an unidentified Native English speaking male.

Time to identify him.

His name was Tom Burnett, Jr and he was the hero who started the revolt to take back that plane by telling the other passengers

"This is a suicide mission. They are not going to land this plane, they are not going to take us back to the airport. We have to do something"

He, and a group of other passengers did something. They fought back.

Among those who we know for certain were in the revolt, along with Burnett were,

• Todd Beamer

• Jeremy Glick

• Mark Bingham

• Richaed Guadagno

• Cee Cee Lyles

• Sandy Bradshaw

• Lauren Grancolas

• Donald Greene

How many others, we cannot be sure.

It was Tom Burnett Jr who started it and his words are inscribed on the memorial. I know this because it was personally revealed to me by none other than Tom Burnett, Sr- his father.

This Catholic man showed what heroism looks like. In the end, he lost his life and so did the others, but who knows how many lives they saved by fighting back?