United Flight 93 Research Paper

The Passengers of United Flight 93 On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, members of al Qaeda hijacked and crashed four American airliners. This attack on American soil resulted in nearly 1.4 million pounds of debris. The financial impact in New York alone was over $30.5 billion dollars (“22 Facts About 9/11”). It lead to three thousand deaths, including the deaths of first responders such as firemen and policemen (“9/11 Attacks”). This was the largest loss of life by a foreign attack ever on American soil (“22 Facts About 9/11”). Two of the aircrafts crashed into the World Trade Center and the third crashed into the Pentagon. The final hijacked aircraft was United Flight 93, which departed from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco, California,

Once the passengers were told about the three previous hijackings and consequent crashes, they soon came to the realization that they must have been in relation. It would have been simpler for the passengers to only be concerned with trying to save themselves, but instead they concerned themselves with saving the next possible victims. Passenger Thomas Burnett Jr. was recorded saying, “I know we’re all going to die. But there’s three of us who are going to do something about it.” (“Flight 93’s Passengers Fight Back”). The passengers of United Flight 93 fought to prevent another attack on their country. A second instance in which the passengers of United Flight 93 demonstrated selflessness was in stopping the terrorist from reaching the original destination planned to crash the hijacked plane. The target of the hijackers is still unknown. It is believed that the most likely target was the U.S. Capitol Building. This is the most likely target on account of the aircraft crashing only about twenty minutes flying time from Washington, D.C. (“The Flight 93 Story”). Other possible targets may have included the White House, Camp David in Maryland, and numerous nuclear power plants along the east coast (“Flight 93’s Passengers Fight Back”). No matter which was their intended target, if the attempt was successful, it would have led to a significant rise in

The caption included in the National United Flight 93 Memorial website reads as follows, “A common field one day. A field of honor forever.” (“Flight 93 National Memorial”). This included caption is especially fitting in a case such as the case of United Flight 93. In a case containing such ideal examples of the qualities that comprise the makeup of a true hero. In conclusion, the passengers of United Flight 93 are heroes because of their courage, their selflessness, and their willingness to work together. Through this research, I learned that every day people can become heroes. I learned that the actions of only a few people can completely change the entire outcome of a situation. I learned that people willing to sacrifice everything they have for their country, including people in it, are what truly makes this nation the greatest in the world. Lastly, I learned that good can always overcome