In a Fox News opinion piece marking the 25th anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks, US Senator Dave McCormick pays tribute to the passengers and crew of United Flight 93, who fought back against al-Qaeda hijackers and prevented the plane from reaching its intended target in Washington DC. He argues their example of collective courage and unity, acting together as Americans regardless of political or religious differences, remains a model the country should draw on today amid what he describes as deepening political division.

McCormick recounts how, shortly after Flight 93 left Newark, four hijackers seized the aircraft, but a ground delay meant passengers learned of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and realised their plane had become a weapon. At 9:57am, having voted on a plan, passengers led by Todd Beamer stormed the cockpit; the plane crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at 10:03am, killing all 40 aboard but denying the hijackers their target. McCormick uses the anniversary to call for continued vigilance against extremism, a strong US military bolstered by AI and technology, and a return to national unity over partisan division.