Neerja Bhanot: The Heroine of Pan Am Flight 73

In a story that reads like a Bollywood thriller, 22-year-old flight attendant Neerja Bhanot became a symbol of courage during the 1986 terrorist hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi.

As four Palestinian terrorists stormed the Boeing 747, they quickly executed an American passenger and hurled his body onto the tarmac. Neerja immediately alerted the crew, enabling many to escape. She chose to stay behind, gathering the passports of 43 American passengers and slipping them down the garbage chute to protect them from execution.

After a grueling 17-hour standoff, the hijackers detonated explosives. Neerja sprang into action, flinging open an emergency exit and guiding passengers to safety. Using her own body as a shield for children, she was spotted by a terrorist and shot in the head at close range.

The terrorists were later killed by Pakistani forces. Neerja sacrificed her life so others could live, proving that true valor places the lives of those in your care above your own.

Valor is in you. Set it free.