United 93 and thoughts on Heroism

Kesher Talk: An army of Davids: Flight 93

The link above is a discussion of United 93. Read the discussion of this upcoming film and then tell me how it makes you feel. I am moved to tears by the trailer alone. I rarely attend a movie on opening night but I plan to be there for this one.

Those mentioned who question the veracity of the Flight 93 story seem to think that ordinary people are incapable of rising to such heroism in the face of certain death.

Flight 93 reminds me of an event from my childhood that remains vivid in my memory. I sat down on the coach next to may Dad and discovered that he was watching a terrible scene unfold on television. A plane had crashed into the Potomac River and there were poor souls drowning in the icy January river live on my TV set.

The camera focused on a woman who was freezing to death in the river. A life preserver was dropped down next to her from a helicopter above. The woman, freezing to death, could not grab the preserver and began to float away to her doom.

Suddenly, to my shock and amazement, a man on the bridge over the river jumped in the freezing water and helped the woman cling to the life preserver, saving her life.

My Dad looked at me and said, "If you were ever in that situation, what would you do?"

Through my mind ran both the deep desire to save the life of this poor woman and the fear of my own death. I paused, and said, "I don't know".

My Dad looked at me and smiled, "Good answer", he said. I realized even then that it would have been cowardly to say that I wouldn't risk my life in that hour of trial, yet arrogant to claim confidently that I would.

As I think on the passengers of Flight 93, I pray, with all the conviction and passion that I can muster in this present hour of comfort, that I would not be found wanting in an hour of life threatening sacrifice similar to the one that took their lives. I pray to the God of Abraham who sent his own son into that hour of sacrifice, that I would lay down my life when necessary in the last full measure of devotion.

I realize this might seem terribly grandiose, but the life that I live stands on the offering of Isaac, Jesus, Peter, Paul, Washington, the 20th Maine, Easy Company, Pat Tillman, Jeffrey Swanson and the brave souls of United 93. May I walk in their footsteps.