As regular Winds of Change readers know, the heroes of Flight 93 have remained a preoccupation of mine. The May 1 posting, "Heroes," talked about what their actions meant to me and how they should be remembered. The May 6 posting, "FLT 93: A Fitting Memorial...," went a step further and talked about the form our remembrance might take.

Recently, I came across a Washington Post article titled "Hallowed Ground" (May 8, 2002). It speaks to the depth of memory and duty emerging locally, in the Shanksville area around the crash site. This detailed and tremendously inspiring work is well worth your time. An excerpt:

"Flight 93 is already beginning to pass beyond mere history and into the realm of American heroic mythology because the full story and true measure of the passengers' collective valor likely will never be known. What is known is that a group of men and women, randomly thrown together, somehow rose up as they faced death. Ages 20 to 79, from Manalapan, N.J., to Honolulu, from Greensboro, N.C., to New York City, they were energetic salespeople, ambitious college students, corporate executives, lawyers, a retired ironworker, a waiter going to his son's funeral, a four-foot-tall handicapped rights activist, a census worker, a fish and wildlife officer, a retired couple who were volunteer missionaries.

Like characters in an adventure movie, this ensemble cast included a wonderfully American mix of men and women of action: a former collegiate judo champion, a retired paratrooper, a street-smart weightlifter, a flight attendant who'd been a policewoman, a female lawyer who also had a brown belt in karate, a 6-foot-5 muscular rugby player who also was gay, and a take-charge former college quarterback. These latter characters, in particular, are likely to be lionized in at least two made-for-TV movies, and in several books scheduled for publication in time for the September 11 anniversary.

Fate, airport traffic and the cellular phone made their heroism possible...."

Flight 93 - The Alamo of the 21st century? Only time will tell. We face, still, the same question: How shall we remember? Not just for Shanksville but for all. Not just for posterity, but in our present struggle.

Out of duty, the good people of Shanksville wrestle with these questions in action, every day. We owe it to them to help create a fitting answer. We owe it to the heroes they remember. Above all, we owe it to each other.

Winds of Change FLT 93 Series

May 01: "Heroes"
May 06: "FLT 93: A Fitting Memorial..."
May 18: "FLT 93: The Legend Grows"
May 18: "FLT 93 and the Medal of Honor"