The historic final words of Todd Beamer, a man who saved lives on September 11, 2001.
On the morning of 9/11, the United States experienced an unprecedented terrorist attack that claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people.
Coordinated by the extremist group al-Qaeda, four commercial airliners were hijacked and repurposed as weapons in a deliberate and catastrophic assault on American soil.
Two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were flown into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third, American Airlines Flight 77, crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
The fourth, United Airlines Flight 93, never reached its intended target, thanks to the courageous actions of the passengers and crew on board.
Among those individuals was 32-year-old Todd Beamer, whose actions helped save lives.
Beamer - from Flint, Michigan - was a father of three who was working at Oracle Corporation.
On the morning of the attacks, he boarded Flight 93 for a routine business trip to San Francisco. According to The Independent, he planned to return home to New Jersey later that evening to be with his pregnant wife, Lisa, and their two young sons. However, fate would dictate otherwise.
Flight 93 departed from Newark International Airport at 8:42AM, slightly delayed due to air traffic, per reports. Just minutes after takeoff, the first hijacked plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Soon after, another hit the South Tower. By 9:28AM, terrorists on Flight 93 had seized control of the aircraft, issuing threats of a bomb on board and diverting the plane from its original course.
As the events unfolded, passengers began using onboard Airfones to contact loved ones and authorities. Through these calls, they learned about the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
It became clear that their plane was likely part of a coordinated assault and that immediate action was necessary to prevent further loss of life.
Beamer attempted several calls before connecting with GTE Airfone supervisor Lisa Jefferson. Throughout a 13-minute conversation, he calmly detailed the situation, expressed his love for his family, and recited the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 with Jefferson.
Beamer informed her of a plan devised by himself and fellow passengers - including Mark Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and Tom Burnett - to confront the hijackers and attempt to retake control of the aircraft.
Flight attendants, including Sandra Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles, prepared to assist by arming themselves with boiling water and improvised weapons. As the group finalized their efforts, Beamer’s final words to Jefferson were both a question and a call to action: “Are you ready? Okay, let’s roll.”
At 9:57AM, the passengers launched their counterattack. Cockpit recordings later captured their efforts as they tried to overpower the hijackers. At 10:03AM, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing all on board.
The plane was approximately 20 minutes from reaching Washington, D.C., and is believed to have been targeting the U.S. Capitol Building.
Vice President Dick Cheney, upon learning of the crash, is reported to have said: “I think an act of heroism just took place on that plane.”
The bravery of those aboard Flight 93, led in part by Beamer, likely prevented an even greater tragedy.
In the years since the attack, Beamer has been honored across the United States.
His alma mater, Wheaton College, named a building in his memory, a post office in New Jersey was dedicated to him, and a high school in Federal Way, Washington, bears his name.
His widow, Lisa Beamer, authored a bestselling book titled Let’s Roll!, inspired by his final words - words that have become a lasting tribute to courage and sacrifice.
In a statement to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Lisa reflected on her husband’s enduring influence. “My boys even say that,” she noted. “When we’re getting ready to go somewhere, we say, ‘C’mon guys, let’s roll.’ My little one says, ‘C’mon, Mom, let’s roll.’ That’s something they picked up from Todd.”
Another hero from that fateful day was Betty Ann Ong, who also used her final moments to help others. The 45-year-old flight attendant was working aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on September 11, 2001.
Betty Ong was a flight attendant on the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. Credit: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty
Betty hadn’t originally been scheduled for that flight. She picked up the extra shift so she could later vacation in Hawaii with her sister, Cathie.
That choice put her on Flight 11, which took off from Boston’s Logan Airport, bound for Los Angeles.
Just 14 minutes into the flight, hijackers took control of the plane and rerouted it toward New York City. At around 8:30AM, Betty made a calm but urgent call using the plane’s Airfone.
“The cockpit’s not answering. Somebody’s stabbed in business class - and I think there’s Mace,” she reported. “I think we’re getting hijacked.”
Despite the chaos, Betty provided vital details that helped authorities understand what was happening on board. She and fellow flight attendant Madeline Sweeney relayed seat numbers of the hijackers and described the violence unfolding. Betty stayed on the line for 23 minutes, calmly sharing every piece of information she could.
At 8:46AM, Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
Betty’s final recorded words were: “Pray for us. Pray for us.”
Her call helped reveal that hijackers had forced their way into the cockpit and murdered co-pilots John Ogonowski and Thomas McGuinness Jr.
She also reported that business-class passenger Daniel Lewin had been attacked, and flight attendants Bobbi Arestegui and Karen Martin were critically injured.
Her sharp observations confirmed the terrorists used Mace, prompting passengers to flee to the back of the plane.
Nydia Gonzalez, an American Airlines employee who spoke with Betty during that call, later told her sister: “You need to be very proud of your sister. She provided a lot of information very calmly.”