Friday, September 16, 2005

Honor Elizabeth Wainio




While doing research for The Flight That Fought Back, I found out that Honor Elizabeth Wainio was born and raised in Baltimore, something I didn't know until last week. Honor Elizabeth Wainio along with 39 other passgeners and crew of United Flight 93 made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001 by overtaking the plane that was headed for Washington DC.

Honor Elizabeth Wainio was a district manager for the Discovery Channel Stores. And a damn great one. She made her region the top selling region. Honor Elizabeth Wainio was going to San Francisco for a business meeting. She just returned for a trip to Europe.

I don't know but somehow I felt a connection to Honor Elizabeth Wainio. I never knew her. Never met her. But I got to thinking she could have been that Orioles fan at Memorial Stadium. She could have been in the crowd in 1995 when Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's record. She could have been saying what a jerk Jeffrey Maier was for interfering with the fly ball Derk Jeter hit. She might have been mad as hell toward Richie Garcia, the idiot umpire who blew the call. She could have been a Baltimore Colts fan. She could have hated that drunk bastard as much as I do. She could have cried the night of March 28, 1984 when the Baltimore Colts were stolen.

I just found and started reading a book, Among The Heros. In the chapter about Honor Elizabeth Wainio I found out she was a die hard Baltimore fan. Her aunt was an original cheerleader for the Baltimore Colts. Honor Elizabeth Wainio replaced the Yankee logo on her store's screensavers with that of the Baltimore Orioles. She also told her dad after Baltimore Orioles pitcher, Mike Mussina signed with the Yankees, "How dare he!!"

That says it all about Honor Elizabeth Wainio's fighting spirit. So nobody should be surprised she helped fight back against those bastards.

I am sorry I never had the chance to meet Honor Elizabeth Wainio. I do know I will go to Shanksville, PA. I will place a brick from Baltimore Memorial Stadium with the words that used to be on the front facade:

TIME WILL NOT DIM THE GLORY OF THEIR DEEDS

Now that I think about it, Honor Elizabeth Wainio would want to beat up Jeffery Maier after he cost the Orioles game 1 of the 1996 ALCS. And if I was that jerk Maier, I would be scared, very scared. And I bet she rubbed it into all the New York Giants fans because the Baltimore Ravens beat the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.