Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger said that writing an opinion piece last week urging voters to cast ballots for candidates who will unite and protect the country was freeing, necessary, useful, and his duty.

“How could I not? I felt an intense obligation to act, not just to watch, to put my voice out there, to vote, to try to make a difference,” Sullenberger said during an interview with MSNBC late Saturday.