by Angela Rocco DeCarlo copyright, 2009

We just can’t let go of US Airways Captain Chelsey B. Sullenberger, III.

We want to look at him. Listen to him. Stand in the heat of his reflected glory to stem the chill of months of castastrastrokes.

Sully and his remarkable crew of the January, 15, US Airways flight 1549, have taken up the huge empty space in our national psyche reserved for those who are undeniably honorable and competent. Every culture needs its heroes and ours have gone missing.
As a country, we feel adrift in a sea of offensive behaviors on nearly every front: Deceptive incompetent politicians, effete Wall Street greedmeisters, mortgage hucksters on the make, and entrepreneurial Octomom, primed to reap millions from her planned popping of six, and than the full house hand of eight babies, for which we Californians will pay the tab. We’re sinking in a grotesque nightmare of fiscal and moral morass. Sully and his crew threw us a life raft.

Is it any wonder we are dazzled by the Miracle on the Hudson crew with their brilliant, but modest, success in saving lives – at least for the moment. For we all know such miracles are merely a postponement. But right now when the entire country appears at death’s door, any stay of execution is not only welcomed, but celebrated.

Weeks after the spectacular water landing by Captain Sully, on the Hudson River, with not one life lost, we were finally able to see and hear the five crew members give a first-hand account of a few moments which have energized a nation. We are entranced by Capt. Sullenberger, his first officer Jeff Skiles and the three cabin crew members. We lap up every word, every gesture, every appearance of these five very human, very experienced competent professionals. They are articulate, without flourishes. Understated. Forthright. Thoroughly believable. Ultimately heroic. They are as Prometheus to us…bringing something to save us. To save our faith in our countrymen. They bring not fire, but the glow of diligent moral, professional duty and competence. The very things lacking all around us.

The TV shot of the five crew members emerging, a la the Mercury astronauts’ image, from bright daylight into an airplane hangar, catches Sully’s arm going behind him to pull up co-pilot Skiles to stand shoulder to shoulder with him. These five are fully aware of what they did, yet, are without plumage of pride. They meet and embrace passengers, families and humbly accept the kudos due them for “doing our jobs.” Sully is even willing to overcome his innate modesty to accept the lavish accolades so as not to diminish the emotionally expressed gratitude felt by passengers, their families and an admiring nation. We’re stunned to learn Sully lies awake thinking what he could have done better! Better? Most cannot imagine such thorough professionalism.

In our degraded and vulgar popular culture of indecency, dishonor and incompetence we are starved to hear their story, to know that somewhere there are professionals who behave without selfish motive to execute their duties. That in itself seems miraculous to we Americans. But it is the very hallmark of the American character.

Peggy Noonan observed in a recent column, the contrast between Sully and the conduct of Octomom Nadya Suleman. Many feel this is an inaccurate comparison.

We are taken with Sully and the crew because we contrast them to the proper cohort – the generation of mature professionals in politics. People of Sully’s age and generation. The disparity is shocking. Sully and the crew have significant experience, training and maturity. But so do many of the people in Congress. Many have never had any other job but running repeatedly to get reelected. They have experience. Age in years, if not true maturity. Yet, they have failed their country in many ways. They appear, and probably are, clueless.

It is clear the goal of many politicians is not duty and honor. But self-aggrandizement.

Over and over the lack of duty and honor is revealed: tax cheats are rewarded with high office; out of office officials are rewarded with millions from private companies to grease the wheels; former presidents harvest hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign interests; no congressman or appointed official takes responsibility for the disaster of the wrecked economy. A 1,100 page legislation is rammed down America’s throat with no time for anyone – not those who voted for it, or others – to read it. No one really knows the consequences of this spending spree. The list goes on and on. With little to indicate that selfless duty and honor motivate these so-called public servants.

News reports of individuals taking their own lives, or killing their entire families from the fall-out of the fiscal debacle tell only part of story. The story of millions of Americans mentally perched on roofs waiting to jump, is not covered by a media which has lost its honor and justification for being.

So this means we don’t want to let Sully and his crew go.

We want to relive over and over rthe Miracle on the Hudson to remind ourselves there are competent professional people in our country. People of dignity. Honesty. Modesty. Duty. Competence. We simply haven’t elected enough of them to our governments.
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Credit line: Angela Rocco DeCarlo, a former Chicago journalist, travel writer and teacher resides in Southern California.