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2026: History 25 years since 9-11-2001

greatergood / Famous 9/11 Photo Captured Ladder 118 Racing Toward the Disaster That Would Claim Every Man Aboard
https://greatergood.com/blogs/news/cw-l ... refighters

On the morning of September 11, 2001, as smoke began to pour from the World Trade Center, an amateur photographer named Aaron McLamb stepped to a 10th floor window near the Brooklyn Bridge and lifted his camera. What he captured in that instant has since become one of the most haunting 9/11 images: the bright red Ladder 118 fire truck racing across the Brooklyn Bridge toward the Twin Towers, framed by the rising plumes of smoke. No one looking at that photo in real time could have known that it showed a doomed fire truck on its last run, or that every firefighter aboard was heading toward a sacrifice that would help define American heroism. ..

Minute-By-Minute: 9/11 As It Happened / -56min

Re-live the events of September 11, 2001, through authentic Air Traffic Control recordings, cockpit audio, and real-time military communications.

This documentary provides a minute-by-minute breakdown of the four hijacked flights—American 11, United 175, American 77, and United 93—examining how air traffic controllers, NORAD, and government officials scrambled to respond as the tragedy unfolded.

From the initial warnings in Boston to the strikes on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, discover the complete, authoritative history of the day that changed the world forever.

Captain Steeeve has a Youtube channel about aviation.
i’ve viewed several of his videos over years - not realizing he was/is military AND a pastor.

Commercial air and medical air rely heavily on former military/retired military.
From what i understand, medical helicopter pilots are nearly all former military.

There are so many personal accounts on YT. i haven’t scratched the surface.

This video reflects the broad ripple effect of violence. Shockwaves go on+on ..

Captain Steeeve / In My Seat: The 25th Anniversary of 9/11/2001 / 24+min

For the 25th anniversary of September 11, Captain Steeeve returns to one of the most personal stories of his life.

On September 10, 2001, First Officer Steve Scheibner packed his suitcase and waited for the call confirming his assignment to fly American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles. That call never came. Instead, Captain Tom McGuinness ultimately occupied the seat Steve expected to fill.

Twenty-five years later, In My Seat looks back on the events surrounding Flight 11 with new perspective, remembrance, and reflection. Steve is joined by family members as they revisit the story, the people behind it, and the lasting impact of a day that changed aviation, America, and countless lives forever.

This special anniversary episode honors those who were lost, remembers the families forever affected, and reflects on what it means to carry these stories forward 25 years later.

One memory i have from 9-11 was the unselfish giving response from people in all 50 states.
The central focus was to help New York.

This wasn’t the only time or place for epic giving, it was a stand-out time. The U.S. has a history of generosity.
Let that not be forgotten.

Very sobering.

9/11/2001 AVIATION AUDIO TRANSMISSIONS (ATC, FAA, & NORAD) / 1hr 42+min

Memories.



How 9/11 Affected America's Airspace / 20+min

“This video explains how the events of 9/11 unfolded and the disruption caused in America's airspace.
We discuss the incidents involving the flights and the responses from various agencies, including a nationwide airspace shutdown.

This video is educational and historical in nature.
No graphic content is shown.”

Chapters:
0:00 Intro and early signs
2:31 First response begins
5:31 Flight 175
7:00 Nationwide groundstop
7:37 Flight 77
9:48 Air Force One
12:05 D.C. No-fly zone
13:03 FAA Airspace shutdown
13:51 Operation Yellow Ribbon
14:45 Flight 93 and the Ram mission
15:43 False alarms
16:39 Cheney Shootdown Order
17:54 Air Force One movements
19:06 Aftermath

ALL air travel was directly affected, that day and ever-after: commercial, general, military.
i can’t imagine what the military personnel experienced, given orders to target U.S. commercial aircraft, in U.S. airspace.
They’re trained. But.

MIKE TOUHEY, 2 separate interviews,

2021 / NewsCenterMaine
Mike Tuohey was the ticket agent at Portland [Maine] International Jetport on September 11, 2001. / 53+min

“Mike Tuohey
was the ticket agent at Portland International Jetport on September 11, 2001.
His unique connection to the tragedy is still hard to shake after 20 years.

Tuohey checked in Flight 11 hijackers Mohamed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari.
His life was changed forever.”

^^Lengthy, but he includes lots of interesting details.

2026 / He Checked In 9/11 Hijackers Atta & Omari. 25 Years Later, He Still Wonders / 8+min

On a crisp September morning in 2001, at a quiet Maine airport, ticket agent Michael Tuohey did what he had done a thousand times before.

Two men approached his counter—confused, carrying first-class tickets to Boston.
One of them, Mohammad Atta, stared hard and insisted on “one-step check-in.”
Something in Tuohey’s gut whispered danger. “If anybody looks like a terrorist,” he thought, “he is a terrorist.”
But the rules forbade profiling. He followed procedure, printed the boarding passes, and watched them walk away.

Hours later, American Airlines Flight 11 slammed into the North Tower. Three thousand lives were lost.
Twenty-five years on, the retired agent still wrestles with the unanswerable question that haunts him:
What if he had listened to his instincts?

YESTERDAY ..
was 9-11-2026. 25 years after the deadly attack.

i didn’t hear from any of my family yesterday, i have no idea if they remembered the day or not.
my brother probably did.

our daughter had graduated college and was working for the state (retirement system?) in Sprngfield, IL, the capital.
our son was in HS, a few miles away.
i’d just been with my mother, out of state, for her painful knee surgery. o.gosh. with her heart history, i was terrified for her.
she got through it. i drove home Sept 10, 5-6 hours, a remarkably easy+beautiful drive! the weather was clear+ideal!

the next morning, continued ideal weather. my husband had left for his work commute, i was working at home - on our desktop computer - the family TV was on downstairs, i liked the company of the noise, rarely watched it.

my mother was recovering and fine.
my brother and his wife, a sister in our family, were with her. that, alone, was a huge relief.
our father and another brother passed in 1996.

THEN ..
about 9am CDT “the TV noise” changed. i looked downstairs at the TV and saw .. a skyscraper in NYC had been hit.
what?? small plane?? accident?? total confusion. no panic.

the second plane hit, panic. war? what next?? what to do? my brain scrambled.
first, to locate everyone, what if communication was lost? what if gas was rationed? (no car travel?) .. i remembered gas rationing in the early 70’s .. very difficult. it could happen. food shortages? water? my feeble brain was racing.

i called the school and went to get our son. they allowed it, no questions asked.
the usually not-busy drive was busy, people were ALARMED.

i feared for our daughter in Springfield. the state capital AND a military base there.
no one knew what would be hit next. Chicago to the north. Indianapolis to the east. St Louis southwest. ugh.

No one knew what would happen next.

With the internet, through posts above, i kinda walked through that day. Some tears.

i thought of how it’s so common to “label” memorials, days, statues, flags, museums, etc., as celebratory. No.
Not all memories/memorials are to celebrate. Many are tragic reminders and memories, places we DO NOT want to repeat.

i understand 9-11-2001 is not in favor of “social” memory. Many schools ignore it. hmm.
That’s hard to imagine.

It’s often said, “they weren’t born then” and “they have no memory”. hmm.

Well, i have an odd little grdaughter, 18, who really enjoys history!
She does all kinna things with history. Not boring to her! Her history teachers must get a kick out of her. i sure do.

All that reading she does.

i’ve never talked with her about 9-11.
that’s how history is lost. people don’t want to talk about the hard things. esp not to young innocents.

i’m going to ask her what she knows/thinks. She’s on a retreat with her college this weekend.
i noticed the college website notes 9-11, i think with a time for prayer.

i’ll ask her when i can.
she’s also interested in aviation. i think i’ll forward the above links on 9-11 airspace, i.e., grounding all air travel.
if she doesn’t know, that will get her attention. i’m pretty sure.

she follows flightaware and another site. she keeps track of her friends’ travel before they do.
the “grounding all air travel” will get her attention. if she doesn’t already know.

i’ll probably add some more to this topic.
esp about Flight 93 and Todd Beamer (“let’s roll”) guy.

the topic is open!

what.a.day.

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another new 9-11 forum topic (in Politics):
Ernie / “Sept. 11 Changed the World Order”…
https://forum.mennonet.com/viewtopic.php?t=9147

GANDER NEWFOUNDLAND

“Why Gander Airport Became a Beacon of Kindness on 9/11” / 15+min

September 11, 2001 changed the world forever—but in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland, a different kind of story unfolded. As American airspace shut down, 38 commercial planes carrying nearly 7,000 passengers and crew were forced to land at Gander Airport, turning a quiet community into an international lifeline overnight.

Discover the untold story of Operation Yellow Ribbon:
how ordinary people became heroes, how strangers became family, and how Gander Airport became a beacon of hope on one of history’s darkest days. From the cockpit chaos and air traffic control heroics to the astonishing outpouring of compassion from the townspeople, this episode dives deep into the aviation logistics, the emotional moments, and the lasting friendships that emerged from this unprecedented event.

I’ll take you inside the decisions that shaped those critical hours—revealing the extraordinary coordination, quick thinking, and humanity that saved lives and inspired the world.

What you’ll learn in this video:

The crucial role of Gander Airport during 9/11
How Operation Yellow Ribbon worked behind the scenes
Air traffic control challenges
The incredible response of the Gander community
The legacy of 9/11’s most heartwarming aviation story

Yes. i believe this really happened. Filed under “what normal people do”.

“Come from Away” Broadway musical
https://comefromaway.com/about.php

Captain Steeeve / Pilot
Kennedy Steve / ATC

“Remembering the Day the Sky Went Silent” / -30min

“September 11, 2001 changed aviation forever.

In this special episode, Captain Steeeve and Kennedy Steve look back at what commercial aviation and air traffic control were like before 9/11, what they remember about that period in aviation history, and the changes that followed.

Captain Steeeve brings the perspective of a career airline pilot and Naval aviator, while Kennedy Steve shares the view from the air traffic control side after decades working at New York’s JFK Airport.

From cockpit security and airport screening to air traffic procedures,
communication, and the overall culture of flying, they discuss just how different aviation was before September 11—and why so many of the procedures travelers take for granted today trace back to that day.

This episode is also a moment to remember the passengers, crews, first responders, families, and countless others whose lives were forever changed on September 11, 2001.

We will never forget.”

^^i believe these 2 men will not forget.

16:00 min mark: “yankee cap” / fighter jets .. over NYC and DC for several months. very grave changes.

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13:00 min mark
2018 / Ben Sliney / “The Man In Charge Of The Skies Remembers 9/11”
https://www.capenews.net/sandwich/news/ ... 5bb1a.html

Benedict Sliney was the national operations manager at the Air Traffic Control Systems Command in Herndon, Virginia, on September 11, 2001. He ordered all planes in the air to land immediately after the second aircraft struck the Twin Towers in New York.

This was a first in American aviation history.
It was also Mr. Sliney’s first day on the job.

TODD BEAMER
LISA JEFFERSON
The Lord’s Prayer
Psalm 23

‘Let’s Roll’: The Story Of Todd Beamer’s Heroics On 9/11
By Marco Margaritoff | Edited By Jaclyn Anglis
Published August 11, 2024
Updated September 10, 2026
Of the four planes hijacked on September 11, 2001, Flight 93 was the only one that failed to hit its intended target —
in part thanks to the heroism of Todd Beamer.
https://allthatsinteresting.com/todd-beamer

For most of his life, Todd Beamer dreamt of becoming a professional baseball player.
A car accident dashed those hopes, but his athletic prowess nonetheless came in handy.
At age 32, he helped lead the passenger revolt aboard United Airlines Flight 93 after it was hijacked on September 11, 2001.
Though Beamer tragically died that day, he likely saved countless lives.

On that morning, Beamer was supposed to fly to California for a business meeting. He had then planned to fly back to New Jersey later that same day so that he could be with his pregnant wife and two young sons. But everything changed when al-Qaeda terrorists took over his plane.

Like the other victims on board, Todd Beamer soon realized that he might not survive the attack. He knew they didn’t have much time before the plane would ultimately crash.

But in the final moments of his life, Todd Beamer chose to fight back against the hijackers alongside other passengers and crew members. With the words, “Let’s roll,” Beamer helped lead the others against the terrorists in order to retake the plane and bring it down in a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania.

It’s now believed that this decision helped save the U.S. Capitol.

The Early Life Of Todd Beamer Before His Heroics On 9/11
Born on November 24, 1968, in Flint, Michigan, Todd Beamer was a middle child. He was raised by his loving parents, David and Peggy Beamer, and grew up alongside his older sister Melissa and his younger sister Michele.

The family moved around quite a bit, relocating to Poughkeepsie, New York when Beamer was a child. Shortly thereafter, Beamer’s father found work at the Amdahl Corporation, moving the family to a suburb of Chicago, Illinois.

There, Todd Beamer attended Wheaton Christian Grammar School and then later Wheaton Academy for high school. According to The Independent, he enjoyed playing many different sports during this time, especially baseball.
Beamer’s family moved yet again during the end of his junior year of high school, this time to Los Gatos, California. He finished up his high school education at Los Gatos High School before enrolling at Fresno State University for college, continuing to play sports all along the way.

But then one night, he and his friends got into a car accident.
Though everyone in the group survived, Beamer’s injuries meant that he would likely not be able to play baseball professionally as he’d hoped.

Before long, he decided to move back to the Chicago area and transfer to Wheaton College.
There, he met his future wife Lisa Brosious Beamer.
According to Lisa Beamer’s book Let’s Roll!, the couple went on their first date on November 2, 1991, and were married about three years later in 1994.

By the time the couple had married, Todd Beamer had earned an MBA from DePaul University. The pair relocated to New Jersey, where Todd found work with Oracle Corporation, selling systems applications and database software. Lisa also found a position at Oracle, selling educational services, though she would soon leave her job to become a stay-at-home mom.

Todd and Lisa Beamer had two sons and moved from Princeton to Cranbury in 2000. The following year, 2001, Oracle rewarded Todd for his work with a five-day trip to Italy with his wife, who by that point was pregnant with the couple’s third child — who would be born after Todd’s death.

The pair flew home from their trip on September 10, 2001.
The next morning, Todd Beamer had yet another flight planned to San Francisco — for what he thought would be an ordinary business meeting. But then, tragedy struck.

Scheduled to take off from Newark International Airport at 8 a.m. on September 11th, United Airlines Flight 93 was delayed due to heavy air traffic and congestion on the tarmac. It ultimately took off at 8:42 a.m. There were seven crew members and 37 passengers aboard, including Beamer and four hijackers: Ahmed al Nami, Saeed al Ghamdi, Ahmad al Haznawi, and Ziad Jarrah.

At 8:46 a.m., four minutes after Flight 93 became airborne, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Then, at 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower.

At this point, Todd Beamer and the other innocent passengers on Flight 93 were unaware of the hijacked planes that had hit the World Trade Center. They also had no idea that their plane was about to be hijacked at 9:28 a.m.

Then, al Nami, al Ghamdi, al Haznawi, and Jarrah seized control of the plane.
Armed with knives and box cutters, they stormed the cockpit, overpowering the captain and first officer.
The ensuing struggle — and one of the pilots saying, “Mayday” — was heard by the Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center. The flight then suddenly dropped 685 feet in altitude.

As the Cleveland Center tried to contact Flight 93, they heard one hijacker — likely Jarrah — make a chilling announcement at 9:32 a.m. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen: Here the captain, please sit down, keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb on board. So, sit.”

Just two minutes later, the flight changed course.
It soon became clear to those on the ground that the plane had been hijacked — and that it was no longer headed toward San Francisco. By 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 had crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. And Flight 93 would soon be headed toward the same city — likely to target the U.S. Capitol Building.

Meanwhile, the panicked flight attendants and passengers on Flight 93 began to use the onboard Airfones to call their loved ones. During these calls, they learned about the New York plane crashes and realized that the hijacking of their plane was likely connected to a much larger attack.

Todd Beamer was one passenger who made calls amidst the chaos. At 9:42 a.m., he tried calling AT&T, but the calls were terminated upon connection. And at 9:43 a.m., he called his wife, but that call was also terminated. Then, he called GTE Airfone operators and was connected to Lisa Jefferson.

Jefferson spoke to Beamer for about 13 minutes total.
During the call, Beamer explained the hijacking situation and told Jefferson that he and other passengers — including Mark Bingham, Jeremy Glick, and Tom Burnett — were planning to fight back against the hijackers. Flight attendants like Sandra Bradshaw and CeeCee Lyles also planned to bombard the cockpit with pitchers of boiling water and as many heavy objects as they could grab.

During Todd Beamer’s call with [Lisa] Jefferson, he recited the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23 with her —
and Jefferson heard some of the other passengers join in to pray as well.

Beamer had one last wish to relay to Jefferson: “If I don’t make it, please call my family and let them know how much I love them.”

The last thing Jefferson heard Beamer say was a question that he asked his peers before they headed toward the cockpit: “Are you ready? Okay, let’s roll.”

The passenger revolt began at 9:57 a.m., after which the hijackers began violently maneuvering the plane to stop the counterattack. But the passengers and crew members were undeterred, as captured by their voices saying, “Stop him!” and “Let’s get them!” on the cockpit voice recorder.

By 10:02 a.m., a hijacker said, “Pull it down!” As the 9/11 Commission Report later found, “The hijackers remained at the controls but must have judged that the passengers were only seconds from overcoming them.”

At 10:03 a.m., the plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Everyone on board — including crew members, passengers, and terrorists — was killed. Overall, 19 hijackers had killed 2,977 people that day.

United Airlines Flight 93 was approximately 20 minutes away from Washington, D.C. by flying time when it crashed in the field.

It was later revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney had ordered the plane shot down had it entered the D.C. airspace.
According to CNN, this was in response to the three planes that had already hit the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.
But when Cheney learned that the plane had crashed near Shanksville,
he reportedly said, “I think an act of heroism just took place on that plane.”

And as Americans mourned the great loss of thousands of innocent people, some found a glimmer of hope when they heard about the heroics of the passengers and crew members who fought back on Flight 93 — perhaps preventing even more casualties that could have happened that day.

Todd Beamer undoubtedly became one of the most famous national heroes of that flight and one of the most widely memorialized victims of 9/11 — especially thanks to his rallying cry of “Let’s roll.”

^^They prayed.

A post office in New Jersey was dedicated to him. A high school in Washington was named after him. His alma mater Wheaton College christened a building in his honor. His widow Lisa wrote a bestselling book about her life with him — and the title was his two famous last words.

She and her three children, meanwhile, kept him in their hearts with that motivating catchphrase — Todd Beamer’s final rallying cry — as she expressed in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shortly after his death.

“My boys even say that,” said Lisa Beamer. “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.”

^^They prayed.

i hope the boys remember their dad prayed. What better message to leave them. To leave, at all.

How amazing he last spoke with Lisa Jefferson in Chicago who prayed with him, with them.

They knew The Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23.

i can’t take that for granted. The most important part of the account. They prayed.

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Cite This Article
Margaritoff, Marco. "‘Let’s Roll’: The Story Of Todd Beamer’s Heroics On 9/11." AllThatsInteresting.com, August 11, 2024, https://allthatsinteresting.com/todd-beamer. Accessed September 14, 2026.

Lisa Jefferson
Oakbrook Illinois

'I Promised I Wouldn't Hang Up'
Lisa Jefferson, the phone supervisor who took Todd Beamer's call on Flight 93, believes God called her for a purpose.
https://www.beliefnet.com/inspiration/2 ... ng-up.aspx