Hard landings and
clear perspectives

I can see the people but I can't see their faces.

We mourn the loss of every innocent person who died last week in the attack on America. Many died instantly or within a few minutes, but I keep thinking about the people on those four hijacked airliners because I'm sure they went through a living hell.

I've been there. In September 1976, I was a passenger on an airplane that caught fire at 13,000 feet. Every person on that plane, including me, thought we were going to die. For the five or six minutes until we crash-landed in a cornfield, thoughts of my family and friends and memories of accomplishments and opportunities missed were accompanied by horror.

How much more horror for the passengers and crew on the four hijacked planes who had 20 or 30 or perhaps even 40 minutes to reflect on their lives while knowing they had little chance to see another day. Thanks to cellphones, at least some could say goodbye to their families back home.

All of the families of those who died, despite their grief, can take comfort in knowing that their loved ones have gone on to a kinder, gentler place.

--Don Kendall

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