By Matt Smith/msmith@trcle.com
— U.S. Army Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell talked about injuries he received at the Pentagon on Sept. 11 and the faith that pulled him through.
Birdwell was the guest speaker at the Cleburne Christian Leadership Prayer Breakfast held Monday at Cleburne Bible Church.
Pat Culpepper, past president of the Cleburne Christian Business Club, was master of ceremonies for the annual event, now in its sixth year.
“This is a nondenominational gathering,” Culpepper said. “Some people here gamble, some don’t. Some people here drink, some don’t. Some go to church every Sunday, others only go to funerals. But you’re all welcome here.”
Culpepper introduced Birdwell as a “soldier of Christ.”
“Nine years ago, our world changed,” Culpepper said. “Some idiot drove a plane into the World Trade Center, then the other tower, and the Pentagon. We were scared, then mad. [Birdwell] is a man who gave us hope during desperate times in America.”
A Fort Worth native, Birdwell served 20 years in the military.
On Sept. 11, after American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon, Birdwell suffered burns covering 60 percent of his body, 40 percent of which were third degree.
Although few, including Birdwell, expected him to live, he recovered after months of hospitalization, more than 30 operations and multiple skin grafts.
Birdwell introduced himself by reciting his title at the Pentagon, which, he joked, was just a fancy title for chief doughnut getter.
Sept. 11 began like any other day, Birdwell said.
“In at 8 a.m.,” Birdwell said. “A little after 9 a.m. someone said to turn the TV on because a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. We didn’t expect to see much — thought it was probably a small aircraft accident.”
It became apparent soon enough that Sept. 11 was not going to be a normal day in America, Birdwell said.
“We knelt down and said a prayer for the people in New York,” Birdwell said. “No thought that we were next.”
Birdwell told two co-workers he had to visit the restroom and would be right back.
“Those were the last words I spoke to my two co-workers,” Birdwell said. “They found their remains several days later.”
Birdwell was walking back to his office when the nose of the airplane crashed into the building at 525 mph about 15 yards from where Birdwell stood.
Knocked down and engulfed in flames, Birdwell struggled to his feet.
“I called out, ‘Jesus, I’m coming to see you.’” Birdwell said. “Not for help, but with calm knowing that I was going to spend eternity with God.”
Birdwell said he was thankful he had accepted God and been saved in 1971.
He thought of his wife, Mel Birdwell and son, Matt Birdwell.
Saved by co-workers, Birdwell didn’t die, but months of hospitalization and treatment followed, during much of which his chances of recovery remained in doubt.
Birdwell joked that he owes taxpayers thanks for paying for his operations and treatments.
“I’m not the $6 million man,” Birdwell said. “But I’m the $2.4 million man.”
Sept. 11, Birdwell said, reinforced his beliefs in the fundamental principals of America, which he listed as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
“And, most important, God’s word,” Birdwell said. “The moral clarity of our nation is what sustains it. And it’s our duty as citizens to command that moral clarity of our leaders.”
Before Birdwell spoke, Cleburne Mayor Pro Tem John Warren presented certificates of appreciation to Johnson County native Dr. Orvil Joe Stephens, and Cleburne native Lt. Col. Michael K. Hopkins for their years of service in the Army.
The Cleburne Christian Leadership Prayer Breakfast takes its cue from the U.S. Senate Prayer Breakfast, which dates back to 1905.
The purpose of the event is to pray for local, state and national leaders, and to reach out the community.
