I hope that it will be very healing for us.. When they were 14 or 15, they became very curious. As chronicled in History 9/11: The Final Minutes of Flight 93, airing Friday at 8 p.m. on History, the bravery of passengers and crew aboard the United Airlines flight from Newark to San Francisco prevented death, heartache, destruction. She is an adventurous eater, cook and gardener, but will only grow something she can eat. Thank you for your interest in Live Action News! Tom Burnett Jr., a Bloomington native, was one of the heroes aboard Flight 93, the plane that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania on 9/11 after passengers overtook the hijackers. His sacrifice saved countless lives on 9/11 but to one woman, it was his sacrifice 16 years prior that truly made him a hero. All you have to do is download it off the website.. He did things every day that were admirable. Who would have thought when Anna Clare was 3 years old that saving his old sweatshirt would eventually become important to her? Bailey said. Since that day, in speaking engagements across the country, Deena Burnett has called for a return to the values her husband held dear -- and which he acted on: good citizenship, prayer and patriotism. I dont doubt at all that they came to the right decision and did the right thing on that day even though it cost them their lives., (Clockwise from top left) Ahmed Alnami, Ahmed Ibrahim A. al-Haznawi, Saeed Alghamdi and Ziad Samir al-Jarrah. When the Tom Burnett Family Foundation was established in 2002, Deena Burnett Bailey was a young mother with three small daughters: 6-year-old twins Halley and Madison, and 4-year-old Anna Clare. He began asking all of the questions and gathering as much information as he could. "I want to tell you that I love you. It also chronicles her fight, in the years after the attacks, to have the cockpit voice recordings from Flight 93 released to the public. Deena waited anxiously by the phone, but Tom wouldn't call again. Saturday marks 20 years since Tom Burnett and 2,996 other people were killed in the September 11 attacks. Deena said, at that point, she was unsure what to say next. I have great kids and wonderful memories, she said. Deena Burnett, formerly of San Ramon, spoke about her husband's reaction aboard Flight 93. A mother of three girls, Deena burnett recently remarried. I thought that at some point the kids might be interested in seeing and touching what he wore. Deena grew up in Halley, Arkansas on a cotton farm. In the past, I've always felt like they were too young to go, Burnett Bailey said. Deena has remarried, and her and Tom Jr.'s three daughters, Halley, Madison and Anna Clare who were only 5 and 3 years old when their dad was killed have graduated from college and begun. Heroic Americans, they stopped terrorists from flying into the Capitol building. All these moments are captured in the book. "He was not your average guy, and you hear people say, 'Ordinary people doing extraordinary things,' - but there was nothing ordinary about Tom Burnett. Tom Burnett and Deena Burnett Bailey pose for a photo with their daughters Anna Clare, Halley and Madison. 9/11: FIVE YEARS LATER / Deena Burnett's husband died a hero. "Shall we finish it off?" Thats who he was. What those people did was such an amazing act of courage, Bulling told The Post. And she tells Tom. After taking command of the controls, Jarrah threatened the 40 passengers and crew onboard over the intercom, telling them: "Ladies and Gentlemen: Here the captain, please sit down keep remaining sitting. Loved ones who heard the audio recall the melee in the cockpit, with pitched combat for the controls. Do something kind, something noble, something good, each and every day.. Since then, she has been writing, speaking and protesting, and shes not done. Her sisters, now teenagers, were all bridesmaids in Mills Jacobsens wedding to lawyer David Jacobsen. According to TwinCities.com, neither one of them considered having an abortion. Though he was always a devout Catholic, she was surprised. "And so to say that I'm proud of what he did on Flight 93 - I have always been proud of him. At 9:56, the plane was near Shanksville when flight attendant Sandy Bradshaw called her husband. And I said she would meet them one day. She is a graduate of the journalism school at the University of Minnesota and a native of Eastern Wisconsin, where she grew up eating good brats, good cheese and fresh vegetables from her dads garden. Some profess political neutrality: Families of September 11, Voices of September 11th, Tuesday's Children. When the time comes for them to read "Fighting Back," they will surely learn, in equal measure, who their mother is. And when it crashed, everyone on board died, including your daddy.'". We had schools from New York to Oregon to California to Florida interested in the program in 2004 when we initially started it.. Deena and Tom married in 1992. Burnetts name became well known after his heroic act on Flight 93, especially to people in Minnesota like the Mills because Burnett was from the state. Thats because its a national memorial, tucked into the Pennsylvania field where Tom and 39 others on flight 93 perished on Sept. 11, 2001. A void remains that cannot, will not fill, but its edges have worn smoother with time. I think were going to continue hunting these people down. But this year, for the very first time, she is taking the girls to visit the site of the crash in Shanksville. "So his demeanor changed to something more concerned. Prevost, 72, died Dec. 23 at his Florida home. A calm voice greeted her on the other end of the phone. You could tell he was trying to solve the problem.". He gave me a chance with a wonderful family.. The Army accepted his offer in 2004, and he returned to Iraq, where he had served in Desert Storm, for two years. Her children grew up to start jobs and have lives of their own. Sometime around 9.50am ET, Tom called Deena for what would be the third and final time. 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Deena and Tom married in 1992. People should know what he did for me. It's a suicide mission," he said, according to a transcript of the call. Jarrah tried to deter the passengers by cutting off the oxygen to the cabin and pitching the plane from left to right in an attempt to knock them off balance. Through his actions on Flight 93, her husband was living his convictions. The department handed out two smaller rewards to other flight school employees in 2009, one for $100,000 and one for $50,000. Movies. In the following 20 minutes, Tom and a number of other passengers called loved ones and held a vote on whether to storm the cockpit or not. Oh, absolutely. One of the most powerful and effective ways of keeping someones memory alive is talking about them and referencing the person in daily life and conversation. Greg Adams, director of the Center for Mourning at Arkansas Children Hospital in Little Rock, offers this advice. While the terrorists' desired target is not known, it's believed they planned to fly the aircraft into either the White House or the US Capitol Building. OK. Lets roll., Suddenly the plane began flying erratically. I need you to call the authorities.". On the back patio of her Little Rock home Monday, Deena Burnett Bailey combed through family photos. We finally woke up to an enemy on 9/11 that had been attacking us for 13-14 years.The young men and women who have stepped forward wanting to protect this nation from this evil, they have. "There were some bad guys on the plane, and they caused the airplane to crash. Deena turned towards the television as she came down the stairs to see images on the news of a crater in the ground in rural Pennsylvania, with the words "United Flight 93" visible on screen. In addition to her marriage in 2006, Bailey welcomed a stepson, Tanner, 24, into her new family. The hijackers' prime target is believed to have been the White House or Capitol. THE widow of one of the heroes aboard Flight 93 on 9/11 has recalled her husband's final words to her from the hijacked 757 before he led a band of passengers in a fight to take back control of the plane. And, as awful as it was that he died, and I never got to know him, there is good that came out of this. Jessica Fleming can be reached at 651-228-5435. Deena Burnett has been married to Rodney Bailey since June 2006. I get all of them and they get me, his daughter., Even if Burnett hadnt sacrificed himself on 9/11 hed still be a hero to me, said Mariah. Bailey said, We started talking to her about it and felt it would probably be a good fit for the foundation. Deena Burnett Bailey lost her husband Thomas E. Burnett Jr. on Sept. 11, 2001. Thats hard., But they did not die without a fight. He then once again told her that he needed to go and promised to call her back shortly. Sometimes it is good to be very intentional about memorializing, and it can be helpful to repeat memorial activities on a regular basis. Their three daughters often ask about their dad. "I said 'I am. The news, analysis and community conversation found here is funded by donations from individuals. Tom Burnett is a hero in more ways than one. Between just Breitweiser and Burnett-Bailey, who has since remarried, four children lost a father on 9/11. Rowley blogs about her activism at the Huffington Post. And there's usually a lot of people there. Turns out the girls had a great time dragging out Toms sweatshirts from Pepperdine and the University of Minnesota and wearing them. I remarried after the fifth anniversary. He didn't yet know what it was, but he knew it would impact a great number of people -- and that it had something to do with the White House. Here is a timeline of the day: Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. "He believed in right and wrong; he believed that we should do what's right; he believed there was always a way to overcome evil with good. They eventually broke through. And there was nothing. And I was right. Bailey said, Three years ago we attended a wedding where Halley and Madison were bridesmaids in the wedding. I don't like the crowd. I love you,'" Deena added. Make a gift of any amount today to support this resource for everyone. Anna Clare (second from left) attends Mount St. Mary Academy while twins Halley and Madison left for college for the first time this fall. Just nine years ago she and her three daughters were living in California, waiting on Sept. 11 for her husband, Tom Burnett, 38, to come home from a business trip. September 11, 2006 / 8:26 AM / CBS. In 1989, Burnett met his wife-to-be, Deena. A decision to scramble in which fighter jets surround an airplane and may shoot it down was still not reached. Deena said he immediately began sharing the information with those seated around him. Repya, an outspoken supporter of veterans, officially retired after that tour. Deena Burnett remembers the call from her husband on Flight 93. Learn More. Mariah was devastated. She asked if he wanted to speak with their children. When Tom died, I kept everything he had. I love you. I'll be home tonight, I may be late, but I'll be home. She believes he genuinely believed he was going to take back the plane and survive, The hijackers of United Airlines flight 93 are pictured left to right: Ahmed Alnami, Ahmed Ibrahim A. al-Haznawi, Ziad Samir al-Jarrah, and Saeed Alghamdi, Flags line the crash site of where Burnett and 43 others died on 9/11, Tom's heroic actions on 9/11 were true to the person he was, Deena said, The plane crashed around 30 minutes before the South Tower of the World Trade Center fell, Deena, who has since remarried and relocated to Arkansas, said she has thought of Tom and 'felt every moment' of 9/11 every day for the last two decades, She hopes Tom's heroics will be a legacy for his daughters to carry forward, The Flight 93 National Memorial is pictured near Shanksville in Stoystown, Pennsylvania. Its been lightly edited for clarity and length. Then, he and Mark Bingham and Todd Beamer led a passenger revolt that has been called "the first counterattack in the war on terror.". In the beginning, it was very difficult to tell the story over and over and over. Her grief was too fresh. Hearing her husband's voice on that tape, she said, helped her to find some measure of closure. This is a carousel. He also said he believed they had a bomb and a gun on board. I would wake up in the morning and look at myself and see him, said Mariah. Funeral and burial services were held on May 24, 2002. Deena's life and business They wanted the chance to see her again someday. Course was reversed. We were able to see all of the different countries he traveled to and then see if the girls were going to those same countries on their trip.. He worked two jobs to pay for the medical bills associated with pregnancy, went with his girlfriend to all of her doctor appointments, went to birthing classes, and was there with her when their baby girl was born in 1985. During his third and final call, he told her he and the other passengers had a plan to take back the plane, United Airlines Flight 93 was one of four commercial aircraft hijacked by al-Qaeda operatives on September 11, 2001, Tom never told Deena goodbye in any of their three calls. Well, I think that we came together after 9/11 because it was an attack on our own land, but it was also a personal attack to our lifestyle and what we stand for and who we are as Americans. "I told them everything would be okay, just like Tom had told me earlier that day. Because the best defense is a good offense.. There are differing amounts and the majority of them were set up by the foundation, anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 gifts. Anna Clare is a sophomore at Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock. Her husband Tom Burnett, a 38-year-old chief operating officer for a dental implant company, had been in New York City for a business trip and was due to fly home that morning from Newark Airport, in New Jersey. Beamer was heard asking. What drew Deena to Tom, she said, was his undeniable charisma. Like Live Action News on Facebookfor more pro-life news and commentary! I boxed up all of his clothes carefully. Their plane crashed there after Burnett and a group of passengers attempted to take the aircraft back from hijackers intent on crashing it in Washington, D.C. I had never felt like my birth parents just gave me away and didnt want anything to do with me. In addition to middle schools, elementary and high schools expressed an interest, along with various local groups like the Girl Scouts. It was a lot to take listening to our loved ones die, Elsa Strong, sister of passenger Linda Gronlund, says in the doc. I was real dismayed to see that elections come and go, but nothing seems to change on the issues, Rowley said. Little Rock Correspondent. Now she wondered if his wife knew about Mariah. One of the girls told her, Lets see you have daddys nose and chin and You look just like me., The girls and Deena have all stayed connected and Mariah was able to join them for a Tom Burnett Family Foundation golf tournament at which Deena introduced her as Toms oldest daughter and said she could not have introduced her any other way.. The town even named a road after him. Within the hour, Tom called. I think that anytime we are as a nation threatened, that is a time that would unify any of us. In telling these stories, she has found that Tom's spirit is still alive in her. I was so excited to be 19, she said. Guest articles are not compensated. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. "He had had a really bad week - and I mean a really bad week. 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