There were many heroes on Sept. 11th, 2001. Some of the bravest were the 33 passengers and seven crew members on hijacked United Airlines Flight 93. These courageous citizens worked together to take back the plane from terrorists who were aiming it for the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. By forcing the terrorists to crash the plane into an empty field in Pennsylvania, the brave passengers and crew saved many lives. Unfortunately, they sacrificed their own.

On September 11th at 9 PM (check your local listings) on the Discovery Channel, you can see and hear, for the first time, the reconstructed hero flight, reenacted from audio tapes and phone calls that the passengers made to the ground that horrible day.

Among the heroic passengers was 27-year-old Elizabeth Wainio, a fast-rising regional store manager on her way to a business meeting. Elizabeth??s bright teenaged sister Sarah, a Freshman in college this Fall, talked to us from her heart about her sister, her advice for those who lost loved ones that day and why you should see this touching TV event.

AGW: What do you wish the world knew about your sister's bravery?

Sarah: Lizzie always wanted to make a difference! But, for me it is far more than just my sister's bravery. 40 passengers and crew members were on that flight and everyone exhibited courage and bravery in their own way. I hope people realize the immense, IMMENSE nerve and valor for those normally ordinary people to not sit idly and watch their lives taken from them. I hope her bravery will make a difference in the future. I hope that the method of hijacking, in the future, will be impossible because people will know the story of my sister, and flight 93 and will take their future into their own hands.

AGW: Do you feel the TV movie does a pretty good job of duplicating what your sister said and did on the flight?

Sarah: I think that the movie does an impeccable job of recreating the events of that day on flight 93. No one besides the people on that plane will ever know the exact events-- we all have to accept that. But, ??The Flight That Fought Back? is a compilation of personal accounts directly from the families that experienced them. I know my mother wrote down what she remembered from her conversation with my sister, immediately after it happened because she knew how important it was, and didn't want to forget it. That is the information that was used in order to "script" the recreation and I think it was done as accurately as possible.

Accuracy is something that is incommunicably important to the families. We want our loved ones stories told! But, we want it to be correct. I have so much faith in Discovery, Brook Lapping and Phil Craig (the producer) and the way in which they approached this project. As you can imagine, it is a very sensitive topic and we were approached many times in the past and didn't feel comfortable until this offer arrived.

AGW: What advice would you give to other young people who might have lost relatives in the entire 9/11 attack?

Sarah: I suppose I don't have a ton of advice to offer. It seems that death is something no one is ready for, and no matter what the circumstance someone is lost in, it always seems senseless. Since September 11th I have had friends who experienced loss and came to me for comfort. ...I always have tried, and always will try to comfort them in any way possible, but you are never an expert, and no one can ever be "good" at situations like these.

If I were talking to someone my age who lost someone in the attacks I would have to say make as much peace with the situation as possible, because that is what I do. You will always wonder what happened on that flight, what your loved ones?? last thoughts were, feelings, if they were terrified, if they felt pain, and not knowing isn't very peaceful at all. What I focus on is my wonderful sister and the memories I have of her. My sister died on September 11th, but that day is NOT who she is. It is a part of her and happened to be the end of her, but she is so much more. Remember the wonderful times, the silly fights, the jokes, and that is all you have to keep going. The memories are what we have left of the people we love and you can't lose those.

AGW: What do you think your sister would have thought about your life right now?

Sarah: That is the question that always makes me tear up. I wish that I wouldn't have to think what she would think. But, in a way I know. My sister would be incredibly proud. I'm living my life as I always have, with passion. Lizzie always supported me in whatever I did. She was one of my biggest fans. I think she would have been ecstatic reveling in my accomplishments in school (Academic and Extracurricular). In fact she probably would have been more happy than I was. Her friends who knew her well have done a wonderful job of keeping an eye out for me and although it is hard sometimes, I know I can get a sense of how she would have felt through them. I also have a wonderful brother who keeps me in line and is part of my support system. Tommy is proud and I know Lizzie would be too.

AGW: Do you think your sis would have been morally behind the decision to storm the cockpit or would she also have gotten up and run down the aisle with the guys?

Sarah: Well, we don't know what happened for sure on that day. Yes, we have a pretty good idea about some of the events but who is to say the "guys" rushed down the aisle? No one knows who participated and WHAT they participated in. I don't judge that one person??s contribution was any less than another's. Not everyone of the 40 people who died that day could have had a direct responsibility in the "storming of the cockpit" but I know that in some way every person contributed. I know for sure my sister would not have just let life happen to her, so in that regard I know she wouldn't have been opposed to the actions taken. But I won't speculate what specific part she had in it. I know that she was strong and unbelievably brave and that is all that matters.

AGW: Why do you think teens and young adults should see "The Flight That Fought Back"?

Sarah: Because it is history. Beyond that, I think it is important for people to educate themselves. ??The Flight That Fought Back? presents a lot of information that hasn't been publicized before and is as close to the actual events of that day as we can get at this time. Specifically for people my age this IS our generation??s history. It might be easier to go on living our life, wanting to feel safe and ignoring the events of this day, but they happened! I can't avoid it, or forget it, and I hope others won't.

We won??t, Sarah. And we won??t forget heroes like Elizabeth either.
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