Speaker 1: Right now. It's time for the Way Black History Fact
Speaker 1: and Today's Way Black History Fact is sponsored by Major
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Speaker 1: comes from the Black Information Network. Many Information, Sorry, many
Speaker 1: Americans know about the heroic acts of the pilots and
Speaker 1: passengers of United Airlines Flight ninety three, a plane that
Speaker 1: was hijacked by nine to eleven terrorists and later crashed
Speaker 1: into a field in Pennsylvania. Everyone on that aircraft perished,
Speaker 1: including the assailants and the victims, have been immortalized through
Speaker 1: many memorials, of vigils and media. While his story has
Speaker 1: been told, many are still unaware of First Officer Leroy W.
Speaker 1: Homer Junior, the black Man co cop piloting the plane
Speaker 1: on that fateful day. This will be a recounting of
Speaker 1: his life, how he fought back against hijackers, and how
Speaker 1: his legacy continues to shape lives today. Born on August
Speaker 1: twenty seven, nineteen sixty five, Homer grew up on Long
Speaker 1: Island and cultivated a love of planes early on, from
Speaker 1: assembling model airplanes to watching planes take off from the
Speaker 1: local airport. He would embark on a path to make
Speaker 1: his dreams come true. In high school, he started taking
Speaker 1: flight lets at age fifteen, and even took his first
Speaker 1: solo flight when he was sixteen. Homer obtained his private
Speaker 1: pivot pilot license before attending the US Air Force Academy
Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty seven. After graduation, he served in operations
Speaker 1: Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and flew humanitarian missions in Somalia,
Speaker 1: the latter often being life threatening experiences. Once then, the
Speaker 1: esteemed pilot wrapped up his active duty service in nineteen
Speaker 1: ninety five with the rank of major. He joined the
Speaker 1: United Airlines as a commercial pilot. Nineteen ninety five was
Speaker 1: the same year he and his future wife, Melody Thorpe
Speaker 1: began talking to each other over the phone. Within two years,
Speaker 1: they got engaged and tied the knot in nineteen ninety
Speaker 1: eight and welcome child in November of two thousand. Homer,
Speaker 1: thirty six, was one of seven crew members on flight
Speaker 1: ninety three, which was carrying thirty seven passengers on the
Speaker 1: morning of September eleventh, two thousand and one, co piloting
Speaker 1: with Captain Jason Dahl. The two pilots got word from
Speaker 1: United Airlines dispatch to be cautious of COCKPITQ intrusion. Forty
Speaker 1: six minutes into the flight, Homer could be heard saying mayday,
Speaker 1: along with the sounds of a physical struggle as recorded
Speaker 1: through various channels. For hijackers redirected the plane toward Washington, DC,
Speaker 1: where they planned to crash the aircraft into the US Capitol.
Speaker 1: The terrorists struggled to fly the plane because they couldn't
Speaker 1: disable the autopilot function on the Bowing seven fifty seven.
Speaker 1: As a result, they were forced to bring back Homer
Speaker 1: and Dahl, who were the first to fight back against
Speaker 1: the hijackers. The passengers also joined in on the counter attack,
Speaker 1: which ended in the plane careening into an open field
Speaker 1: in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Their heroic sacrifice saved many lives in Washington,
Speaker 1: d C. That day. After the horrible events of nine
Speaker 1: to eleven, Melody Homer created a foundation named after her
Speaker 1: late husband in two thousand and three to help underrepresented
Speaker 1: youth fulfill their dreams of flying. The Leroy Homer Junior
Speaker 1: Foundation supports high school and college students turn their private
Speaker 1: pilot's license and pursue careers in aviation. The nonprofit also
Speaker 1: provide scholarships and outreach programs aimed at getting children and
Speaker 1: young people interested in the industry. Let me make sure
Speaker 1: that I get the rest of this in for you
Speaker 1: here right. In an interview with w hqr's Coastline Melody,
Speaker 1: Homer told host Rachel Lewis Hilburn that LeRoy's legacy had
Speaker 1: been hijacked and overlooked. Captain Jason Dahl Leroy, the crew,
Speaker 1: they were just glossed over and all the coverage, she said,
Speaker 1: back in September of twenty twenty two, and it came
Speaker 1: down to there were four strong men on the flight.
Speaker 1: That was kind of the narrative that went on. You
Speaker 1: can make correction after correction after correction. It's very difficult
Speaker 1: to change that narrative. Hilbern and Homer also discuss the
Speaker 1: importance of people knowing Homer was a black biracial man
Speaker 1: who worked hard for his achievements in the industry dominated
Speaker 1: by white men for decades. Many Americans were unaware of
Speaker 1: the accomplishments of the pilot and the pilot's race. And
Speaker 1: then this goes on to discuss his military career, how
Speaker 1: he made the transformation to commercial aviation, and how challenging
Speaker 1: that was and it ends with her saying he's a
Speaker 1: great inspiration for a lot of African Americans other minorities
Speaker 1: who think that's not achievable, even women. I employ you
Speaker 1: to read the entire article again at binnews dot com
Speaker 1: and leave it there