Deserving the highest honor: US must honor the anonymous 9/11 heroes of Flight 93 – opinion

The article advocates for bestowing the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon the 40 passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93, who sacrificed their lives on September 11, 2001. These individuals, learning of other hijacked planes hitting the World Trade Center, attempted to overpower al-Qaeda terrorists who had commandeered their flight. Their actions prevented the plane from reaching its intended target, believed to be the U.S. Capitol, by forcing the hijackers to crash it into a field in Pennsylvania.

“We have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers' suicidal plot,” Todd Beamer told an airline operator. “We've hatched a plan.”

The author argues that their “especially meritorious contribution” to national security warrants the highest civilian honor, which has been awarded posthumously to other notable figures.