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