Flight 93, What have we learned?
Posted: Monday, May 01, 2006
by Dana Glenn Smith
Wings ministries
It was a clear day with the cruising speed adjusted and the correct heights reached, the crew settled in for a standard run. The Boeing 757-222 was a regular from Newark to San Francisco, then on to Tokyo. As the pilots looked out at vapor trails in the distance, little did they know their actual destination would be 150 miles northwest of Washington D.C. They also did not realize they would crash into the hard wet ground in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Whether you agree with the popular theory that is presented in the latest movie about Flight 93 or not. The fact remains, of all the events, Flight 93 stands out. It stands out for a number of reasons. The first one is the Face of the event. For many Americans, it came home to them. For they could have been on a flight just like that one. Heading for some far away destination. The fact of the current log of phone calls, and the black box, all add up to a day of stark reality. One day, one hour, one moment of terror. A Time when destiny and fortune, hatred and faith come face to face.
Moreover, Flight 93 was made even more real due to the phone calls on that day. Mark Bingham called his mother from the plane that day saying "three hijackers had taken over the plane". He gave virtually no detail and was cut off at the end of his call. Todd Beamer, in coach that day tried to place a credit card call through a phone in the back of a plane seat. Instead he was routed to a customer-service representative who passed him onto a supervisor. That person was Lisa Jefferson to whom, Beamer told that one passenger had been killed. Then later the pilot and first officer were mortally wounded. He was on the phone when the plane made its turn to the south east. He later told the operator of a plan to jump the hijackers. There were others who made calls that day. In the storm of an event as this one, the human face was real.
This hit a nation like a ton of bricks. These were real people like you and me. All with friends, family, and a desire to live peaceably in their sphere of life. The problem showed up in the form of hijackers. They were at war. Yes, with these peace-loving Americans. They were going to pay. It did not matter in the war of Jihad that innocent people would die that day. This was a statement. All the perpetrators were young and radical in their beliefs. Dying for Allah, while, destroying the infidel. The four men who tried to dissolve a plane that day were: Ziad Jarrak age 26 from Lebanaon Ahmed Al Haznawi, in his 20's from Saudi Arabia Saeed Al Ghamdi (possibly an alias) and Ahmed Al Nami 23. In the end, as the theory states, the passengers overtook the hijackers as the plane hit the dirt instead of its intended target. I say theory, because it has never been proven conclusively what really happened. The answers are not coming forth. The questions still remain. However, there are no more questions for many others. For the people in the West bank, those in Iran, and many throughout the Middle East it was a day of rejoicing. The question of "when will America be paid back" was answered. For them, America was an enemy. They hate American power, prestige, and all the money they seem to have. They hate us being in the Middle East. They hate us for helping Israel. Some hate us and don’t know why. This was the day that justice came true for them. A Day of Infamy, so spoke Truman when Pearl Harbor was attacked. This was a day when those who truly hated us took out America. A Time when in a moment America was vulnerable. No longer the superpower. The World watched as real people were struggling to survive. The Superpower mystique had been broken.
Furthermore, the internet has been a buzz, as with all other media’s, of the latest ‘Flight 93' movie that came out. Then on a prominent cable channel, another ‘Flight 93' movie was also presented. The reviews have come in. Now, whether you liked or disliked the movie, the day was re-cast. No matter what the real truth was. The truth according to Hollywood, phone records, and the black box have coincided together to bring the version they have spoken. We still have the questions that linger. Why were pieces of the crash site spread out over a large area? This is evidence of a shoot-down. What happened to the three-minute discrepancy in the cockpit voice-recording prior to the flight’s crash? The Cockpit Voice Recorder transcripts end at 10:30 am, but Cleveland Air Traffic control reported that Flight 93 went out of radar contact at 10:06 am. Seismologists record an impact at 10:06:05 am + or - a couple of seconds. (portal.telegraph.co.uk). It has been also noted that some mainstream reports say that fighter jets were much closer to Flight 93 at the time of the crash than stated in the official record. Witnesses also noticed a small white jet near the impact site soon after the crash. (flight93crash.com). This same ‘small white jet’ was also spotted near the twin towers when they went down.
The day which 911 was held, forms a blistering image on many minds. Just like the day President John Kennedy was assassinated, many remember where they were and what they were doing. So too, does 911. The United States lost thousands of people on that day. The victors were not the Muslims who did this horrendous thing. The actual victors are the godless Muslim clerics who foment this hatred against innocent people. For them, recruitment will be easy. Many hate this nation. Many would do this every day if they could.
The truth of 911 lies in the fact that we have gone on. What else could we do. By movies of that day, we ignite the inner feelings of many who were affected on that day. We have hope from that day that we may learn that this nation still is "of the people, by the people, and for the people". It is a nation that will not perish from this earth, if we regard what is important. The first line we need to remember, even on sad days, is displayed on our coins. It reads "In God We Trust". For the early American Forefathers, this meant something. It was not a platitude, but a heartfelt truth.
Do we need a movie about this Flight? Some may need such a thing. For me, the memory should serve as a warning. On two fronts. The first warning here is that we still have enemies who will try this again. The second warning is one each of us should do in our hearts, which is Trust in God. In the end, I ask you and myself this question. What have we really learned about the events of 911 and Flight 93?
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