I am loath to question to valor of those who are dead & unable to defend themselves. But hey, that is just me
As for "winning", the passengers had a 10:1 numerical advantage and wound up dying anyway. If you want to call that "winning", be my guest.
Had the cockpit been secured, their victory would not have been a Pyhrric. As I recall, Americans lost at the Alamo. Only a silly goose would question the honor of those who gave their lives there.
So it's important to examine why this occurred. I don't think 19 foreigners could have taken 300 Americans 100 years ago. Or even 50 years ago. So what changed?
Well, I might be a literal minded moron, but there were not planes 100 years ago. Per hijacking, the ground rules changed. Before the optimal rule to ensure survival was to cooperate. Now it is to resist. Americans, being pragmatic, game the odds & behave accordingly. Were there another hijackings, they would resist. We are not a nation of cowards, all this nonsense about 'statism' notwithstanding.
In many areas, it is even a criminal offense to "fight back". (This mentality still persists today in many areas-- a retired NYC cop was recently arrested in New Joisey for "fighting back" against a carjacker)
The former officer was issued a summons for illegally possessing a handgun in New Jersey. Do I think it is a stupid law? Yes. But it does not mark the downfall of American civilization. Nope
And other Americans have become even more servile.
Evidently Bin Laden thought Americans were servile. That we would topple like the Soviet Union, once he declared a jihad on us.
Bin Laden was mistaken
It depresses me that most pilots are still not armed.