EDITORIAL HEROES AND VICTIMS PASSENGERS ABOARD UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 93 GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY.

AMONG the many tales of heroism emerging from Tuesday's tragedies is the the tremendous act of courage and sacrifice on the part of some passengers on United Airlines Flight 93.

The flight departed from Newark and was destined for San Francisco. But like the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Flight 93 was hijacked by Middle Eastern terrorists. They turned the plane around and toward Washington, D.C., with the apparent goal of striking the White House, Air Force One or the president's retreat at Camp David.

They never got that far. The plane ended up crashing in rural Pennsylvania, some 80 miles outside of Pittsburgh.

By some accounts, some brave passengers prevented the tragedy from growing worse.

Minutes before the plane's crash, Jeremy Glick called his wife in New Jersey to tell her he loved her, and that he was going to die. He told her the details of the grim situation, then vowed that ``there's three of us who are going to do something about it.''

Another passenger, Mark Bingham, put in a last-minute call to his mother, telling her of a plan to tackle the terrorists.

What happened next is a mystery, and won't be known for sure until authorities find the plane's ``black box'' flight recorder. But the fact that Flight 93 ended up crashing into a field - and not a national monument - suggests that the heroes on board were successful in their efforts.

The terrorists who hijacked Flight 93 were willing to give up their lives so that others may die. The passengers who seemingly overwhelmed them gave up their lives so that others may live.

They give real meaning to the words ``land of the free and the home of the brave.''