American value. (reader forum).

After reading the excerpt from Jon Barrett's book Hero of Flight 93: Mark Bingham ["What Makes a Hero," September 17], I was set to wondering why a simple statement of the facts wouldn't have more impact. Bingham is one on a long list of people not fully represented by the country and government they are willing to die for. Had "don't ask, don't tell" been the rule of the day on his particular flight, the very Congress members who helped to decide the policy might have lost their lives. It is necessary to note that a gay man would lay his life on the line out of concern for the safety of his fellow citizens because it flies in the face of the misinformation campaign of the Christian right. It places a clearer lens on their distorted view of people with whom they disagree. People am rarely shamed out of their points of view, but those Americans who may be undecided about the value of this country's gay citizenry will have a more complete picture of gays as integrated human beings capable of the same heroism as any other member of their society.

Jim Belcher, Greenwood Lake, N.Y.