All I Wanted Was to Talk to My Family, and Get Some Dry Socks

Dear Scully, "Fame and tranquility are two things that can't live under the same roof." Michel de Montaigne This quote doesn't apply to you because of how you became famous. Not for acting. dancing, hitting homeruns, winning the lottery, etc. You helped save 155 people's lives and showed humility about it. We don't see a lot of bravery and even less humility on TV. Professor Barry Schwartz spoke this month at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference at Long Beach about morality and doing the right thing in 2009. He suggested that people look for, and point to, what he called , Moral Exemplars; he said we should celebrate them. You are certainly one for teachers to use in class for what a real man should be; they would see your bravery , but need a teacher to point out your humility.
Thank you captain for helping make the world a better place. "We can never have too many heroes." N. Wylie Jones
p.s. Write a book about Flight1549 for middle and high school students to inspire them to love and respect life; kids want to be heroes (I was a teacher for as long as you've been flying; I would have liked to have had such a book to use. I just wrote a series of books I would have liked to have had in my class. www.knowords.com.

Dear Captain "Sully": I once read that ,"fame and tranquility are two things that can't live under the same roof." I hope in your case, thiis isn't true. You deserve to be happy and relaxed. I can't imagine what it would feel like to make millions of people on this planet happy. I haven't heard one negative thing about you or what you did. That's incredible in 2009. This month professor Barry Schwartz spoke at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference at Long Beach about morality and doing the right thing. One of his suggestions was to look for Moral Exemplers, moral heroes, to inspire us. When you're interviewed on TV, your skills as a pilot can't be seen when you interact with the reporters, crew, and passengers; what jumps out of the TV screen is your kindness, empathy, humility, and a sense of humor. You've made all pilots proud to be pilots; you've shown macho men how to be a real man. Loving your wife, being nice to your kids, and treating people with respect is being a Moral Exemplar. I hope you'll write a book about Flight 1549 that will inspire people to be better people. N. Wylie Jones Richmond, Virginia p.s. We need all the heroes we can get.

Captain "Sully" and crew are heroes, as we all can be. They tapped a deep core in our society of what it looks like to face your fears, your morality, to do what we (hopefully) know to be the right thing to help others and to survive and thrive through life's challenges. They did the most ordinary and the most extraordinary by being their best selves at the most it was needed. They are a reminder to us all to step up to the plate when called. Thanks to the crew of 1549 for reminding us and that we all need to be ready to answer The Call at a moment's notice. That is truly the heroic life.

Melissa (Missy) Bradley, MS, NCC, BCETS, FAAETS

What a heartwarming story!!! it is true that even in the tightest situations, there is always a way out. God is always watching and I believe He was there while the pilot was landing the plane in the water. God bless you all.

Sonia Gakuru

"My father impressed upon me that a commander is respnsible for the welfare of everyone who is in his care. Any commander who got someone hurt because of lack of foresight or poor judgement had committed an unforgivable sin."
Given the past 8 years of the Bush administration and its tragic effects on both America and the world, is it any wonder "how ready (people) were for good news, how much (we) wanted to feel hopeful again"?
Thank you Captain Sully. You didn't need to land on an aircraft carrier and drunkenly proclaim "Mission Accomplished." You did your job quietly, competently and honestly, and let your results speak for themselves.

His awareness that the nation needs confidence and that he can help provide it, is the point. We need to have inspiring people in these difficult times. We need Sully to fly again. Just one flight, with news cameras at the gate, would go a long way to help our national psyche. It might also help Sully begin to get back a bit of a normal life.

Yes, Americans love heroes. They also make villains. Sometimes it's the same person! Every culture does this. We need our myths just as much as the Greeks did. They all stand for aspects of ourselves.

The most adverse situations can bring out the best in a man-Captain Sullenberg is an example of an ordinary person who by the virtue of his deeds and action in difficult times serves as a proof of this dictum.We should however respect his personal privacy while expressing our gratitude.

This country seems to be enamored with heroism, and more than eager to label anything or anyone performing certain deeds as such. I can't say if I truly understand the term heroism; maybe there's more than one meaning to it. All I know is that Captain Sullenberger's action is an example of the shiniest and most beautiful side of humanity. He showed us what it means to be a responsible, educated and mature citizen in a civilized world. With that, I suggest that people do not try to label what it is, but to admire his actions and view it as an exmple of what a human should aspire to.

Captain Sullenberger has a very healthy attitude. Our gratitude toward him is well deserved, and is also a way for us to thank all the other brave men and women who quietly go about performing the same admirable job each day.
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Border Enforcement + Immigration Moratorium = Job & Eco Sanity

Yeah, just a pilot and crew doing their jobs. Well, Captain Sullenberger, if that's all it was, I'd like for you to try to explain why every time I read the story about what you did, I tear up and have to reach for a tissue and dry my eyes. What's that heaving in my chest? A 50+ year old man from a family of people who shared your profession, with grown kids of my own, reading your story and sobbing? Tell me, what is that, Captain? I can guarantee you it's not because I just read about someone's job. There was an old saying which I heard when i was just a kid, that goes "heroes are made, not born." You're living proof, my friend.

Shooshie

You epitomize what is still one of the great exports around the world of the United States: the dedication, professionalism, forward-thibking, and safety record of the airline industry - nice job! Keep it up! We love you Captain Sullenberger! And we love the crew: first officer Jeffrey B. Skiles and flight attendants Sheila Dail, Doreen Welsh and Donna Dent. Especially Doreen Welsh, now that we know what you went through in the back! She's every inch the hero as Sully.

I believe the "heroism" of Captain Sully is NOT about the 3 minutes that it took to put this aircraft down safely in an extremly difficult situation, but rather his lifelong quest for excellence, that made this landing possible.
After 8 years of the "loyalty over excellence" attitude of the incompetent republican Bush administration, people have really come to appreciate just how differently the outcome is when loyal ex-officials of a horsing association are put in charge of important posts such as the head of FEMA for which they were vastly underqualified.

A great message from a great man - we need to learn to help ourselves through whatever we face. This is a much better message for our country than the one coming from Washington. More and more people just are looking for handouts rather than a hand up. We are in a very sorry state. Thank you, Sully, for giving us hope.

We all need someone to admire at times. And we desperately need someone now. When all you read in the news is death, destruction, mayhem, and selfishness (think octuplets), it is no wonder that the populace has latched onto this story. The flight crew, FDNY, ferry captains, and everyone else in this incident are all heros in one way or another. We applaud them and wish them well. PS- I hope Capt. Sully got dry socks.

I think we all need someone to admire at times, especially when every other news item is about death, destruction, mayhem, and selfishness (think octuplets). Capt. Sullenberger and his crew fill that role. We can be proud of them and all of the people that pitched in to help, including the ferry captains, FDNY, other passengers. For once, this is a story that has a good ending and gives us all hope. Keep up the good work. (I hope you got dry socks, too.)