No greater love

In the days after 9/11, there were reports that fighter jets from Langley Air Force Base were scrambled to shoot down Flight 93 before it reached Washington.

Those fighter jets were not scrambled in response to the hijacking of flight 93.

In fact, newly released tapes show NORAD, which defends North American airspace, didn’t even hear about Flight 93 until after it crashed.

NORAD: United 93, have you got information on that yet?

CONTROLLER: Yeah, he’s down

NORAD: What, he’s down?

CONTROLLER: Yes

NORAD: When did he land? Because we have confirmation-

CONTROLLER: He did- he did- he did not land.

NORAD: Oh, he’s down?

CONTROLLER: Yes

And there was still confusion at NORAD about the shoot-down protocol as late as 10:30 a.m..

In other words, Flight 93 could very well have gotten to Washington, to the U.S. Capitol, perhaps, or at the very least a well-populated area, if the passengers and crew hadn’t done what they did.

We will never know exactly which passengers and crew waged that counterattack, which ones reached the cockpit, and whether any of them could have stopped the plane from going down.

It doesn’t matter.

We do know that because of their collective courage, hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives were saved.   They were all of them real heroes; they’ll be remembered in many different ways. 

Deena Burnett, who recently remarried, wrote a book inspired by her husband, Tom. Their three daughters often ask about their dad.

Deena Burnett: You know, just the simple everyday things.  We can go shopping and they may be looking at men’s clothes and pick up a shirt and say, “Mom, would dad like this shirt?”  They may see a pair of shoes and ask simple things like, “Were dad’s feet this big?”  (chuckle)

You know, they want to know all the details.  They want to know just all the little everyday things that we take for granted in loving one another and in knowing one another.  It’s important to them.

There have been two TV movies in the past year, and many family members consulted on Universal’s feature film "United 93."

This includes Lyz Glick, who has also remarried. Five-year-old, Emmy was just three months old when her father, Jeremy, died.

Last year, passenger Lauren Grandcolas’ dream of becoming an author came true. Her husband and sisters helped finish the book she began writing before her death.

One day, there will be a national memorial and park in Shanksville, Pa. in honor of the crew and passengers of Flight 93, in honor of the 40 men and women whose lives intersected for a little over two hours. They barely knew each other, might not have known each other’s names—but they gave one another courage and a chance to live or die with dignity: 40 individuals who helped us see the best in ourselves on a very dark day.

The men and women of Flight 93 won’t merely be remembered, but remembered as heroes.  40 strangers forever united in a nation’s gratitude for what they did. Given the choice, they chose to act.

Deena Burnett: Thinking about the heroism that they displayed, the American spirit that was portrayed, it’s overwhelming. And I hope that people looking at Flight 93 and the circumstances surrounding what happened aboard that flight, I hope they realize what an incredible legacy they left each of us, as American citizens, to continue what they started.

MORE FROM DATELINE

Dateline Section Front

Point blank: Sgt. Cole's story   Video: Soldier shooting raises disturbing questions Photos: To Iraq and back Justice halted: The murdered prosecutor Hard lessons: Teacher-student love turns lethal Bullies caught on tape: Aggressors, or victims? Inside the terror plot that 'rivaled 9/11' Clark Rockefeller: Famous name, infamous life How the phony French 'Rockefeller' conned Americans The crossbow incident Dateline Section Front   Add Dateline headlines to your news reader: