Two words to guide us

If history's lessons are lost on us, in the wash of too much pain or plain forgetfulness, there is no hope for the future.

That's why on this most somber day, looking back with reverence and remorse, we vow to keep moving forward. And two words push us toward brighter horizons.

You know them: "Let's roll!"

That battle cry was uttered by 32-year-old Todd Beamer, an Oracle executive on fated United Airlines Flight 93 from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco.

Beamer and fellow passengers overpowered three hijackers of the Boeing 757 whose target is presumed to have been the nation's Capitol or perhaps the White House. While it may never be known who all of the heroes were on that flight, this much is clear: Beamer was the passenger who shared 13 minutes of information with a GTE supervisor, Lisa D. Jefferson, from an in-flight phone; and Flight 93 was the only one of four hijacked jets to not hit its target. Instead, it crashed into a Pennsylvania field about 80 miles from Pittsburgh.

According to the Sunday, Sept. 16 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in which Beamer's wife, Lisa, was interviewed:

Beamer became anxious.

"Oh! We're going down!" he shouted at one point.

He paused, then said in a calmer voice, "No, we're OK. I think we're turning around."

Beamer then told Jefferson [the GTE supervisor] that he and the others had decided to "jump on" the hijacker wearing the bomb.

Jefferson could hear shouts and commotion and then Beamer asked her to pray with him. They recited the 23rd Psalm.

He got Jefferson to promise that she would call his family, then dropped the phone, leaving the line open.

That's when Jefferson heard what Lisa Beamer believes were her husband's last words: "Let's roll."

Then there was silence. Jefferson hung up at 10 a.m. EST, realizing that the plane had gone down. Officials said it crashed at 9:58 a.m.

The full statement attributed to Beamer that morning was, "Are you guys ready? Let's roll!"

As our nation pauses to remember the tragic and heroic events one decade ago today, Todd Beamer can still inspire us. The devoted husband and father of three children - his daughter, Morgan Kay Beamer, was born in January 2002 - provided a rallying cry every bit as relevant today as it was 10 years ago.

Are you ready, America? Let's roll!