'With You' Documentary On Flight 93 Hero, Family Premieres
By KCBS-AM's Betsy Gebhart
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS Local) – It took nine years, but a documentary celebrating United Airlines Flight 93 passenger Mark Bingham's life premiered in June at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco.
Bingham was aboard Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2001. He and a small group of passengers are considered heroes after storming the cockpit and attempting to take over the plane from terrorists. It is believed that the hijackers were targeting to crash the plane into the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Listen to KCBS-AM reports:
According to KCBS-AM reports, Bingham was born in Los Gatos, Calif., and was a longtime rugby player. His mother, Alice Hoagland, said the name of the documentary, "With You," is a takeoff on a popular rugby term.
"One guy has the ball and is charging forward trying to get a try and is paced on both sides by a fellow player, who is chanting 'with you, with you' to let him know where he is," said Hoagland. "To let him know that he's not alone and he has friends in the fight."
Bingham was also gay and Hoagland said it's important for people to see that anyone can be a hero.
"(It's important for the) many, many people, men and women who are gay and lesbian, who deserve to be vaunted as heroes," she said.
Hoagland, along with Mark's past friends, former partners and other family, are shown in the film reminiscing and struggling with the death of their loved one. Hoagland, a former United Airlines attendant, has since become a champion of airline safety as well as LGBT equal rights.
