Out of the ashes: The miraculous story of one 9/11 Pentagon survivor
By: Diana Stancy | September 11, 2016
 Courtesy of Brian Birdwell
For Brian Birdwell, September 11, 2001 started out just like any other day. Before heading out to work at the Pentagon, he had said goodbye to his son briefly and then kissed his wife Mel on the cheek as he headed out the door.
Birdwell, a Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army, anticipated a slow day at work, along with two of his coworkers, Sandy and Cheryl. But it wasn’t long until one of them received a call that a plane had flown into New York City’s World Trade Center.
As the three watched the news, Birdwell said a little voice in his head told him he hoped it was an accident. But after the second plane crashed alongside the first, it was clear it was no accident, but an act of terror.
Little did they know the Pentagon was the next target.
At the Pentagon on 9/11 At 9:35 a.m., Birdwell told Sandy and Cheryl he was going to use to the restroom and stepped out of the office where the three had been watching the news.
“Those were the last words I would speak to my coworkers,” Birdwell said.
As he was on his way back to the office, American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon; the point of impact was only about 15 to 20 yards from Birdwell. It instantly created a terrifyingly loud explosion and Birdwell was “tossed around like a rag doll” and then set ablaze from the explosion.
In the midst of the flames and fire, Birdwell recalled feeling three things: the physical pain of the burns, the emotional pain, and the pain of finality as death lingered.
“The physical pain of the burns was not nearly as consequential as the emotional agony,” Birdwell said. “That’s what truly defines the meaning of terrorism.”
At a certain point, Birdwell realized he wasn’t struggling to survive anymore — but he felt God was calling him home. In that moment, Birdwell screamed out “Jesus, I’m coming to see you!” as he collapsed to the floor and waited to die as the pain of finality and the permanency of death sank in.
But that wasn’t the end of the story. Birdwell was rescued by several people from the Pentagon and was taken to the hospital and began treatment with Dr. Michael Williams. Prior to the procedure, Birdwell requested the hospital chaplain visit him, and together they prayed, placing Birdwell’s life in God’s hands and asking that God’s will be done.
“It was the recognition that it really was the Lord who was in charge there of whether I was going to live or die,” Birdwell said. “And when that prayer was over with, it was just a few seconds, I looked at Dr. Williams and said, ‘Let’s get on with it,’ resting in the comfort of who was really in charge of my eternity — and that’s Jesus Christ.”
“That would be the beginning of a very brutal process that would require the next four years of my life,” he added.
In total, more than 60 percent of Birdwell’s body experienced burns, requiring 39 operations over the course of the next several years.
Seeing loved ones for the first time Despite the fact that treatment was progressing, the future of Birdwell’s life was still uncertain until October, when he was released from the intensive care unit. When Birdwell next remembers seeing his wife, it wasn’t until two days after the terrorist attack. Although Birdwell’s memory of his first interaction with Mel is very blurry due to the morphine derivatives in his system, in his moments of clarity, he was focused on his wife.
“I will tell you, Mel was my rock. When my eyes were open, I was looking for her,” Birdwell said. “She performed magnificently.”
But Birdwell’s reunion with his son, Matt, came several days later and was very clear. In Birdwell’s mind, this was the last time he would see his son and the last time he would speak with him.
“Matt comes in to see me and I know I’m saying goodbye to him. I’m hanging on in my heart and my mind, I’m hanging on simply to see him,” Birdwell said. “And Matt walks in and he’s got a ball cap on and he’s 12 years old. I’m wrapped like a mummy and there’s a tube in every orifice of my body. I cannot speak.”
“I can only just simply move my mouth . Nothing’s coming out; I’m simply moving my mouth as if I’m speaking. And I told him, ‘I love you, son,’ and he says ‘I love you, Dad.’ And you can see the tears in his eyes,” he said. “It’s a very quick visit. He steps out. And in that moment, I would never compare myself to Christ, but I was having my ‘it is finished’ moment.’ I’d said goodbye to my wife, I just said goodbye to my son, and I was now ready. I didn’t say it, but in my heart I was thinking it – I was now ready for the Lord to finish what the terrorists had started.”
Based on the size of the burns on Birdwell’s body, doctors told Mel they had expected him to stay in the intensive care unit for two to three months. But on October 8, he was transferred to a step down unit, for intermediate level of care.
Although Birdwell still faced challenges in step-down care, that’s when he knew he was going to survive.
“The question of life or death had been answered,” Birdwell said. “And the answer was life.”
Life after the Army Fifteen years later, Brian Birdwell is thankful that he’s been able to witness monumental moments in his family’s life.
“The Lord was very gracious. He spared me. I’ve gotten to see my son graduate from high school, college, and we struck it rich on the daughter-in-law lottery last year,” Birdwell said. “Man, I’m proud of him. And I thank my Lord I’ve been able to live the next 15 years of my life with my wife, Mel.”
Birdwell received a Purple Heart for his wounds on 9/11 and retired receiving the Legion of Merit. From his military service, he wants the United States’ liberties and freedoms to be preserved.
“What I want from my service isn’t for the American people to champion me. And I don’t think other veterans think that; they want our liberties and our freedoms to continue exactly like the Founders said in the Declaration in the preamble,” Birdwell said. “You don’t have to have got a Purple Heart to want this. If you put on the uniform of this nation, you’re willing to earn a Purple Heart. But I want those freedoms to continue.”
Additionally, Birdwell has continued to serve his community in more ways than one. To assist other service members who faced traumatic burns, Birdwell and Mel started a non-profit organization called Face the Fire Ministries. Currently, Birdwell is a Texas state senator and has been serving his native state since 2010.
Likewise, to share Birdwell’s story of survival and recovery, he and Mel published a book, “Refined by Fire: A Family's Triumph of Love and Faith,” which provides an account of the events and changes that occurred for their family after 9/11.
Above it all, Brian Birdwell attributes his story, survival, and success to his faith in God for preserving and healing him.
“The first thing I want to be remembered here is the Lord’s grace and our dependence on him as individuals and as a nation because it’s the Lord that carried us through that day and the evil that was brought to us,” Birdwell said. “We first need to remember the Lord sits on his throne and he’s still conducting miracles today.”
- See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2016/09/out-of-the-ashes-the-miraculous-story-of-one-9-11-pentagon-survivor#sthash.LgY46JMb.dpuf |
