You all remember that Shanksville, PA was the site where Flight 93 crashed on 9-11. What you may not know is that Connie and Roy’s cousin, Tom Burnett, was on that flight and was part of the group of passengers who said “let’s roll!” as they stormed the cockpit to take over the plane.
Tom’s cousins met at Shanksville for the very moving tribute by George Bush last Saturday. Here are some photos and notes from Connie.
Connie told me about their trip – she is so glad they went as it was a moving tribute to Flight 93. Last Friday night NBC had a super one hour program about the families of those on Flight 93 – the reactions and shock that registered with all of them when they realized their loved one wasn’t coming home.
Thank you for sharing…
Thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute to Flight 93. Sending many blessings to all the families who lost a loved one on 9/11.
It is an honor to see these photographs and to know of Connie and Roy’s relationship to Flight 93. I saw their cousin’s family interviewed as part of a moving tribute to those heroes who diverted this plane to Pennsylvania. How moving it would be to hear those chimes ring!
thank you for sharing this, Connie and Mary. Did you know Pepperdine University in Malibu has a tribute to Tom Burnett, a memorial called Heroes Garden, high on the hill overlooking the Pacific. We’ve visited it often, and now we know he was Connie’s cousin ! and a graduate of Pepperdine. Also this month they have 3000 flags placed on the hill, honoring all those lost on 9/11. As you drive along Pacific Coast Highway, you cannot help but be moved by that sight.
Thank you for sharing….what brave unselfish souls were lost. Very moving tribute!
beautiful and heart touching
What a beautiful tribute to those who were on that flight. Thanks so much for sharing.
What a beautiful family. I pray that Americans are always worthy of the extraordinary sacrifice and courage that Tom and all Americans on that flight made that day. God bless and keep them.
What brave souls
Thank you for sharing Connie and Mary. I saw Deanna interviewed on 20/20. Still so numbing that the World Trade Towers fell, Pentagon was hit and Flight 93 went down in the field and so many lost their lives.
Thank you for sharing. We are all profoundly grateful for their sacrifice. God Bless them and the goodness in the world.
Much love and hugs to their families.
NEVER FORGET.
This makes a heroes story so very personal. Thanks to Connie for sharing part of her familie”s history and for you publishing it. Is it sharable?
Carol – yes, you may share this story
I have been to the Flught 93 site also. It is a very serene place to visit.
Thank you for sharing Connie and Mary. It is a beautiful memorial. They were brave unselfish souls. There is also a small church near this site that United employees turned into a memorial before this one was built. It has a piece of the tower and a tribute to those on the plane.
Thank you for sharing this. We visited this site 5 years ago and found it very moving. Your pictures added to our understanding of it. Our sympathy and gratitude to the families of all of the victims. Ila
Connie, so glad you were able to visit the site on this anniversary! It must have been so heart wrenching!
Mary, thank you for sharing this with all of us! we need to always remember the sacrifice of all those who did the unimaginable to save many others!
Thank you Connie for sharing your personal experience on that trip to honor these heroes. It was a moving ceremony to watch. And I cried of course thinking of those voices calling loved ones during the bravery of the ones trying to prevent the plane from going into the White House.
Connie, thank you for sharing your families story. 20 years later and the heroism of the Flight 93 passengers was given a more clear understanding of what happened to them. And ultimately what they did with utmost patriotism. Thank the Lord for their sacrifice!
Thanks for sharing. I remember there was an Iowa connection to Mr. Burnett, but did not know he was a cousin of Connie and Mary.
Thank you Mary, and Connie and family, for sharing with us. What a brave group of people on that plane.
Beautiful, just beautiful.
I still get a tear when I think about the speech President Bush gave there last week. Now we have a connection to the site.
Good love them.
I hope to visit the Shanksville site as well as the memorial in NYC. I’ve visited the memorial in Okla. City where the federal bldg. was bombed and it is so awesome. It always makes me feel like I should only whisper in that place. I love the chairs (big and small) and the “Jesus Wept” statue. So glad Connie was able to be there for the tribute and thanks for sharing with us.
Thank you for sharing with us and letting us be a part of your journey. I thank those that gave all on that dreadful day to save so many.
Such a terrific connection for us all! I thought Bush was rather eloquent at times in his speech. PS Margie, my mother-in-law was a proud early graduate of Pepperdine, Mary Appleberry.
Thank you Connie for sharing and to Mary for putting it on email. That was such a sad day when so
many lives were lost. I can tell people now that I know one of Flight 93 heroes was Connie’s cousin.
Thank you again .
Thank you Connie for sharing. Carolyn b Shenandoah Valley VA
Thank you for sharing Connie & Mary, such brave, brave souls!!
Thank you for sharing your very touching story, Connie. There were some extremely brave souls on that flight.
thank you for sharing the family connection and your trip to shanksville. there were so many heroes on that day twenty years ago. whenever i sit and remember this act, it still sends chills down my back. some of you may know cindy blackburg. she does piecing, english paper piecing. she and mary sorenson (of applique fame) would have retreats and a friend and i would go.*cindy lost a nephew (i think that’s right) from the first tower that fell. it’s amazing learning the connections that are there. we have strayed so far from our unity of that time. i wish we had it back. cindy and mary were in my local guild for a long time and also taught in my store. known them both for a long long time. hugs to all, patti in florida
Thank you for sharing.
Connie so glad you got to go, I watched the tribute on TV about that flight. So sorry for the loss. The daughters and wife are beautiful. Paula in KY
That was so nice of you Connie to share with us I watched the tribute and all the news of the happenings that day. God Bless the passengers of that flight. Thank you for sharing
I am so proud and grateful for those brave souls that fought back on Flight 93.
USA! USA! USA!
Such a terrible day in our history but the nation did pull together and we got through it. I cried watching the tribute to the victims of that day and now I’m crying again. Thank you for sharing Mary, we need to remember these things. Many people have been born since this day and have no recollection of what we all witnessed. It’s good to be reminded. I worry about the direction this country is headed now. There are people who want to change things, that don’t have a love of country and all that America stands for. We need to stand up to these people. We need stay united, don’t let them divide us. Jan in MA
I remember during camp when we found out Connie’s cousin was on that flight. It really brought the whole thing home. So glad Connie and Roy were able to attend and thanks for the pictures, it would be a nice place to visit and pay respect to that brave group of people.
Thank you Connie for sharing this post. Such a sad day for your family and for the rest of the country. We can all be thankful for the heroes that brought down that flight at the loss of their own lives. There is no knowing how many lives they saved on that day. It is a day that we should never forget and that showed the world what Americans are made of.