Sully Gets Another Honor

Boy, what a great year this guy has had:

Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, the quiet California pilot whose heroic emergency landing in the Hudson River on Jan. 15 captured imaginations worldwide, was named grand marshal of the 121st Rose Parade on Thursday.

Emerging from Tournament House in a shower of gold confetti, Sullenberger, of Danville, told the applauding crowd he was "happy and excited" to lead the Jan. 1 parade, themed "2010: A Cut Above the Rest."

"Being `a cut above' is something I aspire to, and I'm looking forward to driving down Colorado Boulevard ... and participating as the person who tosses the coin in the 96th Rose Bowl Game," he said.

The parade, an event he's "admired from afar," has been a family New Year's Day tradition, Sullenberger said.

"I always had a dream that one day we'd see it in person," he said after the ceremony. "And this is the way to do that!"

The parade theme is "perfect," Sullenberger said. "It honors all the everyday heroes who do their jobs with great diligence ... heroes who have not received so much notoriety."

Most Grand Marshalls are honored for a lifetime's work, and in some ways so is Sully. Although it was a few minutes on January 15th that made him a hero, it was a lifetime of piloting skills that made that day, and this honor, possible.