September 11, 2001
In observance of the 16th anniversary of 9/11, we're sharing the story of one courageous F-16 pilot who was ready to give her life to bring down United Airlines Flight 93 before the hijacked plane reached Washington. Heather “Lucky” Penney, the first female F-16 pilot at the 121st Fighter Squadron of the D.C. Air National Guard, was at Andrews Air Force Base when her squadron learned that planes had already struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Word quickly came in about a fourth plane heading toward Washington and, although the jets were only armed with dummy bullets for training, it was determined that someone had to fly now. Penney, who was 25 years old at the time, says that the plan became apparent immediately: "We wouldn’t be shooting it down. We’d be ramming the aircraft. I would essentially be a kamikaze pilot... We had to protect the airspace any way we could.”
Penney grew up around planes: her father was a fighter pilot in Vietnam and a commercial pilot afterward, and she got her own pilot’s license in college. She was planning to be a teacher until Congress opened combat aviation to women in 1993; “I signed up immediately,” she says. “I wanted to be a fighter pilot like my dad.” She was still a rookie when the news came in about the attacks. After receiving the authorization to fly, Penney and her fellow pilot, Colonel Marc Sasseville, struck an agreement as headed to the jets: he would target the cockpit, she would target the tail. Unlike today when armed planes stand ready at all times, no jets were armed and there was no time to ready them. Penney remembers, "I genuinely believed that was going to be the last time I took off. If we did it right, this would be it.”
Ultimately, Penney and Sasseville did not have to ram the plane; instead, the brave passengers of Flight 93 downed the plane for them. “The real heroes are the passengers on Flight 93 who were willing to sacrifice themselves," she reflects. "I was just an accidental witness to history.” Following the crash, the two pilots spend the rest of the day clearing the airspace around Washington, including escorting Air Force One back to the city. She went on to fly in Iraq and was promoted to major before retiring, but she still insists that she is not a hero: “I’ve been called a hero for what I was willing to do,” she wrote in a Washington Post op-ed. “The truth is, any one of us would have made the same decision, would have been willing to do exactly what I was prepared to do - and what the passengers on Flight 93 did do. Why? Because there are things in this world that are more important than ourselves.”
In reflecting on the events of that tragic day, Penney further observes, "I’ve come to realize that heroism isn’t something unique or possessed by only a chosen few. That courage is there inside of each and every one of us." And, to each of us she urges, "Let us never forget. But perhaps more importantly, let us remember: That there are things in this world more important than ourselves. That we all belong to and are part of something greater than ourselves. That our connection is more important than our differences. That inside each and every one of us is that courage and heroism that we were blessed with witnessing that day. That these are not unique or extraordinary qualities, but instead are common and all around us every day."
You can read more about Heather "Lucky" Penney’s brave actions on The Washington Post at http://wapo.st/1YgbBce, or read her op-ed at http://wapo.st/2czoNaO
To give tweens and teens --- many of whom were born after 9/11 -- a better appreciation of this day and its historical significance, there are several new books about 9/11 for young readers, including "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" for ages 9 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/nine-ten), "Towers Falling" for ages 9 to 13 (https://www.amightygirl.com/towers-falling), and "All We Have Left" for ages 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/all-we-have-left).
For books for children and teens about women who answered the call to serve their country, check out our blog post, "The Price of Peace: A Mighty Girl Recognizes Veterans and Remembrance Day," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12356
And, for Mighty Girl books celebrating courageous girls and women, check out our "Courage & Bravery" book section at https://www.amightygirl.com/books/personal-development/values?cat=218
(from A Mighty Girl FB pg)