Ten Years

[Robert LeBlanc Memorial]

Nothing profound. I shared my personal recollections back in 2008.

The cliché is: "Everything changed." But one specific thing changed: in a matter of hours, we went from a world where such an atrocity was unthinkable, to one where it was not only thinkable, it had actually happened.

If you haven't already seen it, check out the Washington Post story of Lt. Heather "Lucky" Penney. In 2001, she was a rookie F-16 pilot with the D.C. Air National Guard. And she found herself assigned to play kamikaze with Flight 93.

"Lucky, you're coming with me," barked Col. Marc Sasseville.

They were gearing up in the pre-flight life-support area when Sasseville, struggling into his flight suit, met her eye.

"I'm going to go for the cockpit," Sasseville said.

She replied without hesitating.

"I'll take the tail."

Also: Dave Barry on his visit to Shanksville, PA. Originally published September 8, 2002.

Last Modified 2017-12-02 6:09 PM EDT