Going off the recommendation of Pinch over at Blackfive I decided to pick up the book Touching History by Lynn Spencer. It’s about the countless untold stories of heroism performed by pilots and air traffic controllers on 9-11. Stories like that of Billy Hutchison, a pilot for the DCANG (DC Air National Guard) who was ordered to — if necessary — take out flight 93 with his own un-armed F-16. He accepted the order, and proceeded towards Pennsylvania to intercept United flight 93 knowing that he might end up sacrificing his own life to save the lives of people on the ground. Of course, as we all know now, the passengers of flight 93 took matters into their own hands and attempted to retake the cockpit and defeat the hijackers. They succeeded, giving America it’s first victory in the war against Islamofacism. Touching history is also about the amazing on the fly adaptation of rules and procedures that had to be made on that day as well.

One thing that has struck me while reading this book though, is how much the book seems like a work of fiction. Even after living through the events of that day, and witnessing it all unfold in front of me on TV and on the radio it all still seems so unreal. I wonder if that’s how Pearl Harbor felt to those that experienced it looking back on the event seven years later.

1. 

   Real life is often stranger than fiction. Not even the best writers could think of something to the scale of 9/11 (although Tom Clancy’s EndWar by David Michaels seems to be looming…).

   Comment by Isaac — 6/25/2008 @ 07:53

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2. 

   It will never seem like fiction to me. Having lost someone we cared for on that day - it’s all too real to me.

   Comment by Kris, in New England — 6/26/2008 @ 11:10

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