“Jesus, I’m Coming to See You”: His 9/11 Story

On September 11, 2001, Brian Birdwell was just 15 to 20 yards away when an 80-ton jet slammed into the Pentagon.

The impact was immediate and devastating. Birdwel was thrown across the corridor and severely burned over 60 percent of his body. In an instant, he went from going about his day to facing what he believed was certain death.

And in that moment, he didn't ask God to save him.

Instead, Birdwel cried out, “Jesus, I’m coming to see you.”

He had accepted that he was dying. But as he lay on the floor, waiting for what he thought would be his final moments, something unexpected happened.

Peace.

Birdwel describes the contrast as almost impossible to explain. One moment, he was surrounded by the chaos and terror of a life-threatening injury. The next, he experienced what Scripture calls the “peace that passes all understanding.” With the confidence that he knew where he would spend eternity, he surrendered his life to Christ.

But death never came.

Birdwel opened his eyes and saw light reflecting off the tile floor. Using the wall he had been thrown against, he began making his way down the hallway until four men found him and tried to carry him to safety.

The road ahead, however, would be long and brutal.

At the hospital, Birdwel knew there was a chance he might not wake up from anesthesia. As doctors prepared to treat his injuries, he asked for his wedding ring to be removed so it could be returned to his wife with a message: he loved her.

He then asked for a hospital chaplain.

As the chaplain prayed over him, Birdwel faced the possibility that his life could end there. Whether God chose to heal him or call him home, he was ready to trust Him.

Then came the fight to survive.

Birdwel describes the treatment required in the burn unit as, in some ways, worse than the injury itself. But through the skill of exceptional physicians and what he believes was the hand of the “Great Physician,” he survived.

And remarkably, his story didn't end at the hospital.

Today, Birdwel works at the Pentagon again, in an office roughly 40 yards from the place where he was injured on September 11.

For him, returning isn't simply a reminder of what happened. It's a reminder of the life he was given.

Twenty-five years after that devastating day, Birdwel looks back on his survival not simply as a miracle, but as a responsibility. He hopes God will give him many more years to serve, watch his grandchildren grow, and perhaps meet great-grandchildren.

But he knows his life ultimately belongs to God.

“He’s given me my life three times.”

And for Birdwel, that life is now a duty to serve the One who gave it back.