Strong: Service members' actions in Paris reminiscent of Sept. 11 heroes

 When we talk about  Sept. 11, 2001, we most often focus on the victims -- the nearly 3,000 people who died that day.

But what is often an afterthought is a plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

On Flight 93, a group of Americans stood up to the terrorists who were directing their flight to an attack on Washington, D.C.

They lost their lives, but they went down fighting.

And many people believe that there would have been similar cases of heroism on the other flights had anyone realized the situation they were in.

Fast forward to last week. A group of American friends, two of whom were active duty military, were on a train near Paris when they realized that they were under terrorist attack.

They heard the click of a weapon, which they identified as an assault rifle, and realized that there were going to be a lot of people killed if they did not act.

And then, with no thought for their own safety, they acted.

And because of their courage, a whole lot of people are alive.

It probably did not surprise you to learn that one of those service members was in the U.S. Air Force.

The story is eerily similar to the actions of those heroes who died that day in Shanksville, Pa., but it has a message that we all should remember as we continue to battle the Islamic extremists and other enemies of the U.S.

We are stronger than we think.

This country is full of heroes who fight for what's right -- in the military and among the result of us.

We can conquer any foe -- as long as we remember who we are.

And last week in Paris, just like that day in the skies over Pennsylvania, we were reminded.

Published in Editorials on August 27, 2015 11:08 AM