These were
Todd Beamer’s last words on September 11, 2001, just before taking action to
keep terrorists from using United Airlines Flight 93 as a weapon of destruction.
When I think
of Todd Beamer and the many other heroes of 9/11, I am grateful for the people who
have dedicated their lives to helping others. One of those “everyday heroes” I
am proud to call my friend. His name is
Ed Fleming.
Ed served in
the Air Force and Air Force National Guard for 30 years as a helicopter rescue
pilot and was the Commander of the 106th Operations Group, 4412th Squadron, in
the Persian Gulf and the Vice Commander of the 109th Airlift Wing. I know him as a college professor who
encourages his students to think critically about leadership.
"To risk your life to save a stranger is the highest
mark of a human being. Ed Fleming is such a man…” —Dr. Jerri Nielsen, author of
the #1 New York Times bestselling Ice Bound.
In case you don’t recognize the name, Jerri Nielsen was the doctor
with breast cancer who survived a dramatic rescue from her research station in
the South Pole, a difficult mission that was organized by Colonel Fleming not
long before he retired.
Ed and I have been colleagues and friends for many
years. He is scholarly and gentle and
funny; a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He is the author of a book titled Heart of the Storm: My Adventures as a Helicopter Rescue Pilot
and Commander, which I have read.
Ed will eagerly
share stories about the people he has known and what he has learned from his
work and life. And he will talk endlessly
about the mechanics of helicopters and discuss his enduring interest in
leadership from every possible perspective.
But ask him how many lives he saved while in the cockpit (nearly 300)
and he’ll likely change the subject. He is a humble hero.
Not all of us
can be heroes. I like to think I would have
the courage to pull a stranger from a burning car, or tackle a group of
terrorists at 30,000 feet. I also hope I
never find myself in either of those situations. But today is a good day to think about the
people who have.
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