“In a situation like that you don’t think about dying,” said Rosenthal. “You focus on what you have to do to save the plane and crew. You drive everything else out of your mind. You’re frightened, but there’s a difference between fear and panic. Panic paralyzes; fear energizes. You sweat—even at 50 degrees below zero—your heart pumps, you act. Truthfully, the only fear I ever experienced in the war was the fear that I would let my crew down.
