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Jan. 30, 2006 On Monday night there is a television movie about the fourth airliner on September 11, 2001. You may remember that the first three crashed into buildings. Flight 93 went down in a field in the Pennsylvania countryside. The movie is the story of that horrific tragedy in the sky and it highlights the passengers who tried to save the plane and their families waiting helplessly below as the drama unfolded. Todd Beamer was the subject of a book entitled, "Let's Roll," written by his wife, Lisa. It is the rallying cry he uttered to other men that day in their attempt to outmuscle the terrorist strongmen and to break into the cockpit to stop the plane from going down. They failed. But, another critical question remains; were they heroes? The answer to that question depends on the specifity of the question. If it is posed in this way, "Are they heroes because they tried to save the plane from crashing?" then the answer is an unequivocable and resounding NO! Why not? Because in order to be a hero, you have to face the ultimate choice between courage and cowardice. For example, the Texans fighting for freedom at the Alamo were heroes to their republic. They had a choice to leave and survive or stay and fight for what they ultimately believed in. They stayed and died. The same was true of the soldiers invading the beaches at Normandy. They did not have to risk their lives to face the German machine guns that day, but they did and sacrificed their lives to defeat the Nazi army of Adolph Hitler and help rid the world of a dictator. The passengers of Flight 93 did not have a choice to leave the plane. They only had two alternatives and both of them guaranteed their death: Save themselves from passive death or experience aggressive death. That is not heroic, that is a fatal option. Had these men who stormed the cockpit had known BEFORE they boarded the plane that it was going to be hijacked by a gang of suicide terrorists and they still boarded it in the hopes they could stop that mission and save the lives of innocent people then....they would be heroes. In the same vein, if you jump out of a plane and your parachute does not open and you do everything you can to make it open before you hit the ground, you are a very resourceful person under a great deal of pressure. But, you are no hero. But, let's ask a second question here. If the passengers on that plane believed the terrorists were directing the aircraft towards the White House or the Capitol building and they took action to prevent that from happening, then...they could be considered patriotic. They may even qualify for heroic status. It is a fine line. From all reports of that fateful flight, the men who fought with the terrorists were trying to save the plane from crashing so they were resourceful and smart under a great deal of pressure. They were trying to survive and help others survive without a choice to disembark safely at 37,000 feet. Understandable. Not heroic. Of course, the most intriguing aspect of Flight 93's cockpit storming men was this question: What IF they had overwhelmed the terrorists and neutralized them somehow and made it to the pilot's seat? Here is the answer...the plane still would have crashed. Or been shot down by fighter planes from the Michigan National Guard. But, you have to give them credit for doing SOMETHING! Under the same circumstances, many of us would have behaved in a similar way. The movie is worth watching for its historical value and its emotional appeal. It will undoubtedly make you cry. It may make you proud to be an American. It will definitely be a reminder of the evil in the world and how it will go to any length to act out its passion. We really don't have heroes anymore like Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart or John Glenn. We are cynical about anyone who sacrifices his or her life for a greater cause than their own self. Todd Beamer and his friends were admirable for doing something in the plane over the eastern countryside that day. They will always be remembered for trying to save themselves and others from certain death. But, they were not heroes. ------------ About the author: Pat Hurley has won three Emmy awards for writing, hosting and producing television shows. He resides in Southern California. Email: coolhumor@sbcglobal.net Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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