American Folk Hero. She was a flight attendant aboard Trans World Airlines Flight 847 that was hijacked by Shiite Muslim terrorists in June 1985. The flight began in Athens, Greece and ended in Beirut, Lebanon, where the crew and 39 passengers were held for 17 days. She is credited with saving many lives by shielding from the terrorists, the passports of passengers whose names sounded Jewish. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem, Jr. was singled out and killed by the terrorists. She said the most important factor behind her action “was that I was ready to die. I prayed, cleared my conscience, and in my mind, finished my life.” After leaving Athens the plane was diverted to Algiers where ground crews refused to refuel the aircraft free of charge. When the hijackers threatened to kill passengers, she gave her Shell credit card to cover the costs. She was the first woman to receive the United States Silver Medal of Honor for helping hold the hijackers at bay and was awarded the Silver Cross for Valor by the Legion of Valor, a veterans’ group. (bio by: Neil)