Late in the morning of the Tuesday that changed everything, Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney was on a runway at Andrews Air Force Base and ready to fly. She had her hand on the throttle of an F-16 and she had her orders: Bring down United Airlines Flight 93. The day’s fourth hijacked airliner seemed to be hurtling toward Washington. Penney, one of the first two combat pilots in the air that morning, was told to stop it.
The one thing she didn’t have as she roared into the crystalline sky was live ammunition. Or missiles. Or anything at all to throw at a hostile aircraft.
Except her own plane. So that was the plan.
Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney was ready to give her life on Sept 11 to save more Americans. This is the type of story you read about in books or see in movies, but never actually believe is a viable tactic. Until now.
That Penney was able to handle this type of monumental, self-sacrificing pressure is completely unimaginable for most to comprehend. How many people could sit behind the throttle of a fighter jet knowing their mission is suicide? (via Gruber)
22 notes
-
hotpinkgun liked this
-
jark posted this
