Pan Am Stewardess Heroine

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On September 5, 1986 Neerja Bhanot saved a large number of the 394 passengers, including 9 infants and a crew of 13 Indian flight attendants and an American flight crew. It had been hijacked by four terrorists from the Abu Nibal Organization. Bhanot helped the cockpit crew, including the pilots, allowing them to leave the aircraft, keeping the hijackers from flying the plane. She gathered the passports of American passengers, hiding them to prevent the terrorists from identifying them and harming them. As the hijackers opened fire Bhanot was able to activate an emergency exit and guided many passengers to safety even though she could have escaped first. She shielded three children from the bullets losing her life by doing this. She was both the first woman and the youngest recipient of India's highest peacetime gallantry award. She also received awards from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Pakistani government.