By William F. Buckley Jr.
Friday, September 11, 2020
Note: The following was sent to William F. Buckley Jr.
by Thomas Burnett Sr., whose son, Tom, died while attempting to retake control
of United Airlines Flight 93 from its al-Qaeda hijackers on September 11, 2001.
It first appeared in the Notes & Asides section of National Review’s
May 20, 2002, issue. We are reprinting it here in remembrance of the 9/11
attacks, which took place 19 years ago today.
Dear Mr. Buckley: On behalf of my entire family, I want
to thank you for your tribute to my son Tom [Burnett] in your February 8 letter
to subscribers. As a longtime reader and supporter of National Review, I
was touched by your account of his heroism on September 11, 2001.
I thought you might find of interest the following
account of Tom’s four cell-phone calls from Flight 93 to his wife, Deena, which
she reconstructed from memory shortly thereafter.
It shows that Tom was instrumental in informing his
fellow passengers of the atrocities that were occurring in New York and at the
Pentagon and in leading them to an act of unparalleled sacrifice and courage
that saved thousands of lives and spared a great symbol of our democracy from
destruction. Their desire to save others’ lives even led them to wait until
they were over a rural area before launching their assault on the terrorists.
Tom’s last — and greatest — act was completely in his
character as a leader, which he often demonstrated during his short life. With
no warning, Tom and the other passengers on Flight 93 were suddenly placed in
the vanguard of the War on Terrorism. Facing unfathomable choices, Tom was
calm, clear-headed, decisive, and fearless. I can only hope that in the days
and years to come, the rest of us live up to the standard of character and heroism
he set.
“He died as a hero to millions,” Tom’s longtime friend
and fraternity brother Jeff Swanson said. “None of us will likely be in the
position in which Tom found himself that morning, so we can’t emulate his last
acts, but we can emulate how he lived: with character, courage, spirit,
curiosity, integrity, and love.”
Sincerely,
Thomas E. Burnett
Sr.
Bloomington, Minn.
9:27 a.m. [cell-phone call]
Deena: Hello.
Tom: Deena.
Deena: Tom, are you okay?
Tom: No, I’m not. I’m on an airplane that has been
hijacked.
Deena: Hijacked?
Tom: Yes, they just knifed a guy.
Deena: A passenger?
Tom: Yes.
Deena: Where are you? Are you in the air?
Tom: Yes, yes, just listen. Our airplane has been
hijacked. It’s United Flight 93 — Newark to San Francisco. We are in the air.
The hijackers have already knifed a guy, one of them has a gun, they are
telling us there is a bomb on board, please call the authorities.
(He hung up.)
9:34 [the phone rang on call waiting, Tom’s cell
phone]
Deena: Hello.
Tom: They’re in the cockpit. The guy they knifed
is dead.
Deena: He’s dead?
Tom: Yes. I tried to help him, but I couldn’t get
a pulse.
Deena: Tom, they are hijacking planes all up
and down the East Coast. They are taking them and hitting designated
targets. They’ve already hit both towers of the World Trade Center.
Tom: They’re talking about crashing this plane [a
pause]. Oh, my God. It’s a suicide mission [he talks to people sitting around
him].
Deena: Who are you talking to?
Tom: My seatmate. Do you know which airline is
involved?
Deena: No, they don’t even know if they’re
commercial airlines or not. The news reporters are speculating: cargo planes,
private planes, commercial planes. No one knows.
Tom: How many planes are there?
Deena: They’re not sure. At least three. Maybe
more.
Tom: Okay, okay. Do you know who is involved?
Deena: No.
Tom: We’re turning back toward New York.
We’re going back to the World Trade Center. No, wait, we’re turning back the
other way. We’re going south.
Deena: What do you see?
Tom: Just a minute, I’m looking. I don’t see
anything, we’re over a rural area. It’s just fields. I’ve gotta go.
(He hung up.)
9:45
Tom: Deena.
Deena: Tom, you’re okay? [I thought at this point
he had just survived the Pentagon plane crash.]
Tom: No, I’m not.
Deena: They just hit the Pentagon.
Tom: [He tells people sitting around him, “They
just hit the Pentagon.”] Okay, okay. What else can you tell me?
Deena: They think five airplanes have been
hijacked. One is still on the ground. They believe all of them are commercial
planes. I haven’t heard them say which airline, but all of them originated on
the East Coast.
Tom: Do you know who is involved?
Deena: No.
Tom: I’m wondering what is the probability of
their having a bomb on board. I don’t think they have one. I think they’re just
telling us that for crowd control.
Deena: A plane can survive a bomb if it’s in the
right place.
Tom: Did you call the authorities?
Deena: Yes, they didn’t know anything about your
plane.
Tom: They’re talking about crashing this plane
into the ground. We have to do something. I’m putting a plan together.
Deena: Who’s helping you?
Tom: Different people. Several people. There’s a
group of us. Don’t worry. I’ll call you back.
9:54
Deena: Tom?
Tom: Hi. Anything new?
Deena: No.
Tom: Where are the kids?
Deena: They’re fine. They’re sitting at the table
having breakfast. They’re asking to talk to you.
Tom: Tell them I’ll talk to them later.
Deena: I called your parents. They know your plane
has been hijacked.
Tom: Oh . . . you shouldn’t have worried them. How
are they doing?
Deena: They’re okay. Mary and Martha are with
them.
Tom: Good [a long, quiet pause]. We’re waiting
until we’re over a rural area. We’re going to take back the airplane.
Deena: No! Sit down, be still, be quiet,
and don’t draw attention to yourself! [the exact words taught to me by Delta
Airlines flight-attendant training]
Tom: Deena, if they’re going to crash this plane
into the ground, we’re going to have to do something.
Deena: What about the authorities?
Tom: We can’t wait for the authorities. I don’t
know what they could do anyway. It’s up to us. I think we can do it.
Deena: What do you want me to do?
Tom: Pray, Deena, just pray.
Deena: [after a long pause] I love you.
Tom: Don’t worry, we’re going to do something.
(He hung up.)
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