rMag

Surrounded The Life of Todd Beamer

Renee Knudsen

9-1-1. Three simple little numbers, and yet immediately two thoughts come to mind: the police and a day in American history that is as infamous as it is memorable. However, while you and I look back on 911 as a tragic day in American history, hundreds of individuals never lived to see what happened. On that day one man faced the ultimate sacrifice to help preserve a nation’s freedom and liberty. Samuel Johnson once said that “Courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other.” Throughout more than 230 years of American history, many men and women have proven themselves to be very courageous, but none more so than Todd Beamer did in the final moments of his life.

The only son of David and Peggy Beamer, Todd Morgan Beamer was born in Flint, Michigan on November 24, 1968, into a devout Christian family. Along with Todd, David and Peggy Beamer also had two daughters, Melissa and Michele. In his elementary school years, Todd attended Wheaten Academy, which was based in a prosperous suburb of Chicago. During those years at Wheaton Academy, teachers had often noticed that Todd Beamer was a quiet young man with an inner strength in life. As a boy, Todd Beamer had accepted Jesus Christ’s simple plan of salvation for mankind for his life. As a result, that faith in God gave him the courage and inner strength to respond with character to life’s crises.

Throughout his short lifetime, Todd Beamer had multiple interests, but in his early years of life, sports was the main one. Todd played baseball, basketball, and soccer whenever he had the opportunity. One of his coaches always said that Todd was the type of guy you wanted in a tough situation. Although the coach was talking about sports then, his statement proved to be prophetic. While in seventh grade, Todd played basketball for his school. In one of those games, there were two seconds left to the game with the other team ahead by one point when Todd was fouled. With just two shots to take before playing the final two seconds of the game, there was no time for a mistake. Todd didn’t make one; he scored both points and his team won the game. After completing his highschool education at Los Gatos High School, Todd went on to attend Fresno State University.

Todd originally chose to attend Fresno State University so that he could play baseball, and perhaps even go on to play professionally. However, that was not to be. Shortly, thereafter he returned home to Illinois and started attending Wheaton College. While pursuing a degree in business, Todd met Lisa Brosions. Todd and Lisa hit it off from the start and went on their first date on November 2, 1992. Within a few short years, their good friendship developed into a close relationship. Todd and Lisa were married on May 14, 1994. Within a few years, they were raising a family of their own.

To support his growing family, Todd worked at Oracle Corporation as an account executive. As part of his job, he often flew around the country on business trips where he sold systems applications and database software. Upon starting his career at Oracle, Todd and his wife Lisa moved to Princeton, New Jersey. While in New Jersey, Todd and his family attended Princeton Alliance Church where Todd and his wife were faithful members. Although there were many things that Todd could have been proud about in life, there was little he was more proud of than his two sons, David and Andrew. In September of 2001, Todd’s sons were four years old and two years old. His wife Lisa was due with another child in January.

Todd spent the final days of his life on a second honeymoon with his wife Lisa. Since he had been working so hard at Oracle, Todd had earned a five day trip to Italy. After spending five final days together, Todd and Lisa returned home from their vacation on September 10, 2001 at 5:00 p.m. The young account executive from Oracle could have headed out that evening for his business meeting in California, but instead he decided to spend the evening at home with his family. The following morning he left at 6:15 a.m. for the airport. Shortly thereafter he was on his way to California. However, within a few minutes after take-off, Todd realized he wasn’t headed to California for a business meeting.

Four men armed with knives and a bomb were hijacking his flight, Flight 93. Sensing he might not live through the flight, Todd had to let someone know what was happening. He wanted to call his wife but since she was due with a baby in January, he didn’t want to startle and scare her with the news. Using the airplane phone, Todd placed a call to the GTE air-phone operator. He got through to Lisa Jefferson. They talked for a few moments as Todd told her his name and the other passengers’ intentions to overcome the hijackers. Then after reciting the Lord’s prayer, the 23^rd Psalm and praying together, Todd set the phone down. Turning to some other courageous passengers, Todd calmly asked, “Are you guys ready? Then let’s roll!” Then using a food cart as a battering ram, Todd, along with all of the other courageous passengers of Flight 93, attacked the hijackers.

What happened after that is hard to say, but it is presumed that while the passengers and hijackers fought, the plane went down with no one in control. Flight 93 crashed at 9:58 a.m. in a field in Pennsylvania. Lisa Jefferson was still on the phone at 10:00 when a co-worker told her that Flight 93 had crashed. Lisa knew the brave man on the other end of the line had perished. She also knew that she wouldn’t be able to console Todd’s wife with anything other than God’s word, and that’s exactly what she did when she talked with Lisa Beamer a few days later.

Although Todd was a determined, competitive, noble man, in the end it was his faith in God that gave him the courage to respond the way he did. Attesting to this fact, Steve Clum, Todd’s fifth grade English teacher stated that “When his character and courage were tested, Todd responded in a way that honored the God he loved.” Todd Beamer had only celebrated thirty-two years of life when he died.

In closing, ever since the terrorist attacks of 911, Todd Beamer is considered one of the three most popular heroes ever. Even with death staring him in the face, Todd Beamer remained faithful to God and his country. However, Todd Beamer not only died as a hero; he also lived as a hero. Lisa Beamer, Todd’s wife, said that “Just knowing that when the crisis came up he maintained the same character we all knew, it’s a testament to what real faith means.” From birth to perhaps the most trying moments of his life right there at the end, Todd Beamer did what was right. Almost more heroic than the legacy he left in his death, is the testimony that Todd Beamer had throughout his life. Todd Beamer truly was a hero’s hero.

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¹ McKinnon, Jim. The phone line from Flight 93 was still open when a GTE operator heard Todd Beamer say: ‘Are you guys ready? Let’s roll’. September 2001.

² Jefferson, Lisa. Taking Todd Beamer’s Call from United 93 Changed My Life Forever. Christianity Today, 2006.