Today, Mark Wahlberg issued an apology for his assertion that he could have prevented one of the planes involved in the 9/11 attacks from crashing into the World Trade Center, acknowledging that his statements were ‘ridiculous’ and ‘irresponsible’.
The actor, known for his role as boxer Micky Ward in ‘The Fighter’, received significant backlash following his claim that he would have fought off terrorists and taken control of the aircraft had he been a passenger.
Although he was supposed to be on one of the flights from Boston to Los Angeles that ultimately struck the twin towers, he canceled his reservation just days before the incident occurred.
This particular flight was taken over by Mohamed Atta, marking it as the first to collide with the World Trade Center.
Mr. Wahlberg expressed that he believes the outcome of September 11, 2001, would have been different had he not given up his seat.
‘If I had been on that plane with my children, it wouldn’t have gone down like it did,’ he remarked.
‘There would have been quite a bit of blood in that first-class cabin, and I would have said, “OK, we’re going to land somewhere safely, don’t worry.”’
He has now conceded that his previous claim was unfounded, stating: ‘Speculating about such scenarios is absurd from the outset, and implying that I would have acted differently from the passengers aboard that flight is irresponsible.
‘I sincerely apologize to the families of the victims; I did not intend for my comments to come across as insensitive.’
Now 40 years old, Mr. Wahlberg made these controversial remarks in the latest edition of Men’s Journal magazine.
His statements provoked anger in Deann Burnett-Bailey, whose husband Thomas attempted to breach the cockpit of Flight 93.
Moments before his death, her husband informed her, ‘I know we’re going to die.
‘There are three of us determined to take action.’
She characterized the actor’s comments as ‘disrespectful’ and questioned, ‘Does Mark Wahlberg hold a pilot’s license?
‘I believe hindsight is always clear and it is trivial to speculate about actions one might have taken if they were not present.’
She continued, ‘The heroic actions of those aboard Flight 93 thwarted the plan.
‘For him to suggest that his mere presence could have altered fate is both foolish and disrespectful. It sounds as if someone is trying to draw attention to themselves.’
This isn’t the first occasion that the ‘Boogie Nights’ star has recounted his close encounter and discussed what he would have done had he been on that flight.
‘We definitely would have attempted to fight back,’ he stated during a 2006 interview. ‘I’ve probably relived it in about 50 dreams.’
Nearly 3,000 individuals lost their lives due to the terrorist attacks, which consequently prompted the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Only one person, Zacarias Moussaoui, has been convicted and received a life sentence for his role in the attacks.
The other identified terrorists perished in the crashes.
by Debbie Dot
