I decided that fateful day to do all that I could to understand the origins of such courage and valor. As an academic, trying to understand and write about this was something I could do to honor the bravery and sacrifices of these men and women. To make an effort to understand is to discover the lessons that heroism can teach us. To learn something about the nature of goodness amidst the horror of that day and to translate that into practices that can make a difference to the next generation is my tribute to those noble spirits. Maybe writing the book was a way to respond to my own grief and fear.