On October 7, 1986 at our Board of Management Meeting, the Board voted to award the “Heroism Medal”, posthumously, to Neerja Bhanot, a brave and heroic stewardess on Pan-American Flight 73 which was hijacked in Karachi, Pakistan on September 5, 1986. She sacrificed her life to save others. Her story is one of valor, courage, kindness, and determination in a life and death high pressure situation. Dr. Shekar Mitra life was saved when Miss Bhanot pushed him through an exit door to safety and paid with her life. Dr. Mitra would share his experiences at the Thanksgiving Day Dinner with a speech “An Experience with Terror.” and volunteered to present the medal to Neejra’s family in Bombay, India. His speech was advertised as a first hand experience of this insidious creeping threat in today’s times. Dr. Mitra, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was a research scientist for Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio.  You can read more on her and the hijacking at:

http://sillyconfusion.com/the-story-of-neerja-bhanot/