Dear Mr. Bingham,
A day or so ago I listened to the voice messages that were released of your mom and those who loved you trying to reach you on September 11, 2001. You mom was calling and telling you what little detail she knew about what was going on that morning. You were on Flight 93. The last message she left told you that these were terrorists on your plane, and they meant to crash the plane into some building as the others had, and then, in a show of bravery she told you to get with the other passengers and take over the plane if you could. And that's just what you all tried to do...
I've been thinking about you and the others since hearing her voice. I've also been thinking of the incredible strength of that woman who, knowing this was not going to end well, encouraged you to try...to do...in a calm voice, matter of factly, in a situation where others would probably be overrun with emotion. Her words, and your actions, saved lives that day even though yours was lost.
Sept 11 impacted us all in ways that we may never really be able to explain. I have memories of that day and the following nights and months where there was an overall numbness in everyone you'd meet. I still have trouble explaining the feelings I had at that time to anyone who didn't experience it as an American.
I'm proud of you, Mr. Bingham. And proud of the others who stood up in their last moments to try to stop terrorism. That's why I keep thinking about the extraordinary measures you took, the strength of a mother telling her only son to fight them, and I wonder...would I have been that strong, that brave?
With respect,
Mary
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