Twenty-five years old. Sikki century has passed at the speed of light! At the beginning of the new millennium, the people of the world were shocked to see the scene that they saw on the TV screen, even after so many years, the terrible face of terrorism was brought to mind in an instant. And in the US itself, the bad memory of the twin attacks still remains. But there was not to be another attack that day. The passengers of Flight 93 bravely prevented a potential attack on the US Capitol that day. Otherwise the death march could have been much longer. Even today, America has not forgotten such self-sacrifice by risking their lives in the face of terror. The world has not forgotten.
What exactly happened that day? At around 7:40 in the morning, four Al Qaeda militants boarded the plane. Among them was Ziad Zara, a trained pilot. The other three, Ahmed Alnami, Ahmed al-Haznawai and Saeed al-Ghamdi, also received special training in unarmed warfare. Everyone went and sat down in the first class seats. However, the 9/11 Commission later informed that another person, Mohammad Al-Qahtani, was also supposed to board the plane. But Orlando airport was denied entry in August. So except him, the rest boarded the plane. The motive, 'probably' an attack on the US Capitol. The plane took off at 8:10 a.m. with a delay of about 42 minutes.
The passengers of Flight 93 bravely averted a potential attack on the US Capitol that day. Otherwise the death march could have been much longer. Even today, America has not forgotten such self-sacrifice by risking their lives in the face of terror. The world has not forgotten.
And as soon as the plane took off, the hijackers entered the cockpit. 9:28 am. Boeing 757 is flying 35 thousand feet above the ground. Suddenly it came down 7000 feet in one fell swoop. The pilots were heard shouting on the cockpit recorder, “May-day!”, “Get out of here, I say…”
Meanwhile, an average Sunday morning has turned into a nightmare. The scene appeared on the TV screen. The plane crashed into the World Trend Center! A horrified woman named Dina called her husband Tom Barnett. Because her husband is supposed to be in the sky at that time! Tom did not pick up the phone despite repeated calls. As a result, the mercury of panic was rising. At around 9:30, the diner's phone rang. Tom's name on the display! He quickly picked up the phone and asked, “Are you okay?” The reply was, “No, that's not right. The plane I'm on has been hijacked. A passenger has just been stabbed!”
9:28 am. Boeing 757 is flying 35 thousand feet above the ground. Suddenly it came down 7000 feet in one fell swoop. The pilots were heard shouting, “May-day!” on the cockpit recorder.
Just then the cockpit announcement came over the intercom, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain. Please take your seats. There's a bomb here. So sit down.” Gradually, panic started to rise. By that time, the intention of the militants became clear. “They're talking about crashing the plane. Oh my God, it's a suicide attack!” Tom exclaimed to his wife Dina.
And this is where things get different. The passengers of the plane all decided that the terrorists' objective could not be allowed to succeed. They also understand that their lives are short! Even in the face of certain death, the 'common man' i.e. ordinary citizens did not want to retreat. Rather, in that situation, keep a cool head and think how to stop the attack on the US Capitol! It's surprising to think. Where did people from different professions, ages and backgrounds get this determination? Some of them may have had military experience. Some were associated with emergency services or law enforcement. There were athletes, businessmen, students too. Those ordinary people became 'warriors' that day.
The fight started at 9:57. Armed militants on one side. On the other hand, unarmed common people. Voice recorders left traces of that struggle in the cockpit. Screaming, the sound of things falling… Passengers wanted to get into the cockpit! Remembering that any moment could be the last moment of your life, you can't help but appreciate such an audacious fight. The plane eventually crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. All passengers on board were killed. But at the same time, the militants also perished. Another attack plan was foiled.
9/11 is therefore not just an attack on the Twin Towers or the Pentagon. It also tells about this fight. David Beamer, the father of Todd Beamer, a passenger on the plane, said of the passengers, “It's not just that ordinary people became soldiers that day… the blessing is that they had the opportunity to turn around and they did. It shows that heroism is not a rare quality. It's hidden in all of us.” Here we can remember the immortal line of Ernest Hemingway's 'The Old Man and the Sea' – 'Man is not made for defeat. A Man Can Be Destroyed But Not Defeated.'