9/11 F-16 pilots

[CP1207]

Scrambled to take out Flight 93 She muttered a fighter pilot’s prayer — “God, don’t let me [expletive] up” — and followed Sasse­ville into the sky.
Lt. Heather “Lucky” Penney
9/11/01

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...ODK_story.html
Two F-16 pilots sent unarmed to stop Flight 93...
And if Wash Post requires a sign in to view-
http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/..._on_suici.html

[Daveroo]

wow..thats heavy...ive never heard that before.....

[Bushpounder]

I think it is insane to have unarmed fighters sitting on a ready line. I hope that day has changed the rule. There should also be armed fighters based closer to New York than Cape Cod as well.

Don

[Allen]

I think it is insane to have unarmed fighters sitting on a ready line.
Don

Ya think? All fighters sitting on a ready line better be full of LIVE 20mm at lest!

[Railrunner130]

Politics are to blame for unarmed airplanes. I don't think there was even an actual alert commitment at that time.

[aeromed202]

If those two ever read this, thanks for being made of the stuff I was worried we were running plum out of. Saw what had to be done and did it, period. :salute:

[redriver6]

i think the whole point here is that those aircraft and pilots were not on alert. they had just returned from a training exercise and happened to be the only aircraft available on short notice. it would have taken time to arm them with live ammo so they sent them up unarmed.

one of those pilots recently did an interview where he said he had one hand on the stick and one on the ejection seat....so when he rammed the plane hopefully he would be able to eject out of the wreckage.

[limjack]

The right stuff indeed! Just amazing people .

Jim

[Willy]

She earned her nickname that day.

[n4gix]

At the very least the comments here are thoughtful, rational and generally positive...

...unlike the truly idiotic and hateful comments made by the "Great Unwashed" elsewhere! :ernae:

[warchild]

Now is not a good time for hate or anger. Now is the time to remember, love, respect and honor those all who defended, fell, and worked to rescue, protect, and ensure the safety of the rest of us, no matter where we were in the world. As the days wore on after the attack, country after country from around the world, held their own memorial's in honor of those that gave their lives, and remembrance of those lost.

I believe that today should see a continuance of those memorials so many years ago, and a remembrance that for one brief moment, all the major countries around the world came together in honor of the men and women who fought to save lives and who died saving them.

Today is most certainly, not a day for hate or anger..

Pam


PS, hearing the stars and stripes being played at Buckingham palace was eiry as hell..