Kelvin J Kelley

On September 11, 2001, as smoke, fire and confusion filled the Pentagon after American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building, thousands of people suddenly found themselves trying to escape damaged corridors with limited visibility. Among them was Marilyn Wills, a Pentagon employee whose actions that morning would become part of the many stories of ordinary people helping one another during one of the darkest days in American history. According to accounts of her experience, Wills moved through smoke and darkness while helping coworkers find their way out. When breathing became increasingly difficult, she reportedly took off her sweater so it could be used to help protect people from the smoke. Instead of concentrating only on reaching safety herself, she continued assisting people around her as they searched for a way through the damaged building. At one point, Wills encountered an injured woman who was struggling to escape. She helped carry her through the Pentagon, reportedly taking the woman onto her back as they made their way toward safety. Even after reaching the outside, accounts of Wills' actions describe her continuing to focus on others rather than simply leaving the scene. The scale of what happened at the Pentagon that morning is difficult to comprehend. The attack killed 125 people inside the building, while all 64 people aboard Flight 77, including the five hijackers, also died. Hundreds more were injured. Firefighters, military personnel, emergency workers and civilians rushed to help, while people already inside the Pentagon assisted coworkers and strangers through smoke-filled corridors and away from the burning sections of the building. Stories like Marilyn Wills' are an important part of remembering September 11 because history is not only the story of the attack itself. It is also the story of how people responded when confronted with extraordinary danger. Across the Pentagon, World Trade Center and Flight 93, people made decisions to guide strangers, carry the injured, provide medical assistance and remain behind to help others escape. Marilyn Wills was one of those people. Her story reminds us that courage can appear in an instant, when there is little time to think and no guarantee of personal safety. On a day remembered for tremendous loss, her willingness to help others through smoke, darkness and fear deserves to be remembered as part of the human story of September 11.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, LeRoy Wilton Homer Jr. reported for work like he had countless times before. He was a pilot. A husband. A son. A Black man who had earned his place in a cockpit that had never been designed with him in mind. When United Flight 93 was hijacked, LeRoy didn’t disappear into fear. From inside the plane, a calm but urgent voice reached the ground. He relayed what was happening. He fought for time. He fought for lives. And when passengers rose up against terror, he was already standing in resistance. The plane never reached its intended target. It crashed into a field in Pennsylvania instead—because the people onboard, including the pilots, refused to surrender quietly. Because courage lived in that cabin. LeRoy Wilton Homer Jr. died that day at just 36 years old. His name is rarely spoken when 9/11 is remembered. His face is often missing from the narratives. And yet, his sacrifice is inseparable from the lives he helped save. Even in a moment of national mourning, his story reminds us of a painful truth: Black heroism is too often overlooked, even when it costs everything. But history does not forget forever. LeRoy Homer was a Black pilot who faced terror with resolve, who helped prevent even greater loss, and who gave his life in the fight. He deserves to be remembered—not as a footnote, but as a hero.