United 93

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) is a Vietnam veteran likely to run for president in 2008. Mr. McCain also was a prisoner of war, a biographical detail that makes his 2004 book Why Courage Matters a compelling read. It comes not from an armchair general or a sideline-sitting self-proclaimed “expert,” but from one who has witnessed and demonstrated courage. The volume is really a collection of vignettes—short stories of people who, when the time of crisis came, acted heroically. This makes “courage” more than just “the capacity for action despite our fears,” but self-sacrifice for the benefit of others.

I wonder if Senator McCain might have included the passengers and crew of United 93 who perished on 9-11-01 after wresting control from the team of hijackers whose intent was to destroy the US Capitol. After seeing United 93 this weekend, I had a headache, I was nauseous, I was moved to tears, and yet could say to a little old lady in the row behind me when leaving, “My goodness, those people were brave.” She replied, “They were all heroes. That was really good.” Like the people in Why Courage Matters, those people did not sit idly by or freeze in panic-stricken inertia; they used their last earthly moments in sacrifice for their country. They didn’t get on that plane looking for a fight. They were innocents who all had family members whom they loved. They had future plans and dreams. They may not have asked for a fight, but when it came, they didn’t back down from it, either.

In an ironic coincidence, the release of United 93 has happened nearly simultaneously with the sentencing of the so-called “20th hijacker,” Zacarias Moussaoui. Many observers were stunned that this Al-Qaeda terrorist who spewed anti-American hatred and showed not a morsel of remorse for the 9-11 attacks during his trial did not receive the death penalty. Maybe if the jurors had seen United 93, they would have returned a different sentence. Perhaps it is just as well that America’s enlightened European friends (who are in principle opposed to any capital punishment) could see that the death penalty is not a fait accompli in George Bush’s America. Perhaps, even better, is that Moussaoui is denied his 20 virgins for some time longer and can instead mouth his Meccan mumblings in maximum security and solitary confinement. Execute him and you create a martyr, and martyrs have a way of inflaming the passions of the mob (cf Charlotte Corday’s assassination of Marat).

Every American should see United 93. I know that some are saying “It’s too soon.” I disagree. It has been 5 years. Americans seem to be more worried about the price of a gallon of gasoline than they are about winning the war on terrorism and jihad. We need a reminder of the courageous heroism of the passengers who gave their lives that day for their country so that we don’t allow their deaths to be in vain.

The film may leave you feeling like you may have after watching The Passion of the Christ. You know the story; it is painful to behold and it ends tragically. There is no Bruce Willis or Kiefer Sutherland to come to the rescue; no deus ex machina to suddenly appear to save the day. Although there is graphic violence and some vulgar language, don’t let that deter you. This is simply a must-see. It will show you true heroism and remind you, as Senator McCain put it, why courage matters.