Let's roll

On September 11, 2001, Todd Beamer, a passenger on the doomed United Airlines flight 93, was permitted by its hijackers to call his wife. Through her and other cell phone contacts with the ground, the passengers learned that two other planes had been piloted into the World Trade Center. They determined to do their utmost to prevent becoming weapons themselves, and after a quick conference the male passengers decided to storm the cockpit. Todd spoke his last known words to the group, overhead on a cellular phone: "Let's roll".

It became symbolic of heroism and initiative in a tough situation, especially after being used by President George W. Bush in a speech to AmeriCorps volunteers. Families and profiteers later tried to lay claim to it as a trademark although the phrase was in common use long before September 11.

In early 2002, it was ordered that one airplane in each U.S. Air Force squadron and all Air Force demonstration planes would carry an image of an eagle on an American flag with the words "Let's Roll" and "Spirit of 9-11". The image is supposed to remain until the first anniversary of the attack.

It was also used as the title of a Neil Young song about the flight.