The Sunday Book Review, September 11, 2011: Thank you, Flight 93 heroes

Dear Readers,

Instead of her usual book review today, Madame L would like to pay tribute to the brave passengers on United Airlines Flight 93, who fought with the terrorist attackers on that flight, resulting in the plane's crashing in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Madame L was at work that day in Washington, D.C., in a building located not too far from the White House. It is thought that the target of that fourth plane was the White House. If not for those passengers, Madame L may have been one of many more thousands of victims of the terror attacks that day.

Thank you.

Also, Madame L thanks the members of the U.S. military who have put themselves in harm's way over and over through our history to protect us.

Madame L hopes all her Dear Readers will read this article, about a female F-16 pilot, Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney, who was ready to give her own life on 9/11 to protect our capital.

From the Washington Post interview:

"Because the surprise attacks were unfolding, in that innocent age, faster than they could arm war planes, Penney and her commanding officer went up to fly their jets straight into a Boeing 757.

“'We wouldn’t be shooting it down. We’d be ramming the aircraft,' Penney recalls of her charge that day. 'I would essentially be a kamikaze pilot.' ,,,


"'The real heroes are the passengers on Flight 93 who were willing to sacrifice themselves,' she said. 'I was just an accidental witness to history.'

"Still, Penney said she would have a hard time forgetting the adrenaline rush she felt that terrible morning. 'I genuinely believed that was going to be the last time I took off,' she said. 'If we did it right, this would be it.'"

Thanks again.