On September 11,2001, Burnett was a passenger on board United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked as part of the September 11 attacks.
22 Facts About Tom Burnett
2.
Thomas Tom Burnett was born on May 29,1963, the son of Thomas Tom Burnett Sr.
3.
Tom Burnett attended Ridgeview Elementary School, then Olson Middle School.
4.
Tom Burnett studied Economics at Saint John's University in Minnesota, where he was a quarterback on the football team.
5.
Tom Burnett was named president of the Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity, then later graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance.
6.
Tom Burnett went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree at Pepperdine University.
7.
In 1996, Tom Burnett joined Thoratec Corporation, a medical devices company, as vice president of sales and marketing.
8.
In 1985, Tom Burnett became the biological father to a daughter who was given up for adoption.
9.
In July 1989, Tom Burnett met his future wife, Deena, in Atlanta, where she had just completed flight attendant training for Delta Air Lines.
10.
Tom Burnett had busts of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill in his office.
11.
On September 11,2001, Tom Burnett boarded United Airlines Flight 93, returning home to San Ramon, after a business trip.
12.
Tom Burnett called his wife, Deena, after hijackers took control of the plane.
13.
Tom Burnett explained that the plane had been hijacked by men claiming to have a bomb, and said that a passenger had been stabbed with a knife and that he believed the bomb threat was a ruse to control the passengers.
14.
However, Tom Burnett instead informed her that he and three other passengers, Mark Bingham, Todd Beamer and Jeremy Glick, were forming a plan to take the plane from the hijackers, and leading other passengers in this effort.
15.
Tom Burnett is buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minnesota.
16.
On September 14,2001, the Jefferson High School football team wore on their helmets the number 10, in honor of Tom Burnett, who wore that number when he played at Jefferson High.
17.
Tom Burnett learned that Burnett was her father, and she eventually formed a relationship with Deena Burnett and with her half-sisters.
18.
Deena gave Mills an unfinished letter that Tom Burnett had written for her in 1987.
19.
Tom Burnett was portrayed by Greg Benson in the documentary The Flight That Fought Back, Jeffrey Nordling in the TV film Flight 93, and by Christian Clemenson in the film United 93.
20.
Tom Burnett co-authored a book with Anthony Giombetti entitled Fighting Back: Living Life Beyond Ourselves.
21.
On September 1,2011, his widow Deena Tom Burnett was interviewed on the death of Osama bin Laden where she said that his death had given her closure.
22.
Tom Burnett learned of the news while in bed and told her daughters the next morning.