Flight 93 memorial dedicated

Ceremonies mark 10th anniversary and attack on nation

Rays of sunshine broke through a dark, cloudy Saturday morning as family and friends of the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 gathered along with other invited guests and dignitaries to dedicate the completed first phase of the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pa.

Gordon Felt, brother of passenger Edward P. Felt, and President of the Families of Flight 93 called the occasion a “Bittersweet celebration.”

“The design will assure that the enduring legacy the actions of the passengers and crew will be a source of comfort, inspiration and education for future generations,” Felt said.

On Sunday, the family members and guests returned to the site to honor the victims of 9/11. At both ceremonies, the names of the 40 passengers and crew were read aloud, each name followed by the tolling of the Bells of Remembrance.

An estimated 10,000 people attended the service on Sunday and 7,000 to 9,000 attended the memorial dedication on Saturday, according to park rangers.

Those who spoke at the ceremonies, including Presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush, who commended the courage and resolve of the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93, who on September 11, 2001 foiled an attempted suicide plot by terrorists to crash the hijacked plane into a target in Washington, DC. Authorities believe their target was either the Whitehouse or the United States Capitol.

“9/11 showed us that evil is real, and so is courage. The acts of the passengers and crew set an example that inspires us all,” Bush said. “We have a duty to live and uphold the ideals these individuals fought to protect.”

President Clinton likened the acts of the passengers and crew to the Ancient Greek battle of Thermopylae, where Spartan soldiers sacrificed their lives to defend Greece.

 “I hope in 2,500 years people will remember this in the same way,” he said.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama met with family members and placed a wreath Sunday at the Wall of Names at the memorial, but made not public statement during an hour-long visit to the Shanksville site.

For the past 10 years, a temporary memorial has stood in various spots overlooking the crash site where volunteers and National Park Service employees have greeted visitors, answered questions and told the story of Flight 93.

Sherin Knowles of Ligonier saw the work of the volunteers at the temporary memorial and wanted to lend a hand.

“It was something I felt I needed to do,” she said. “I thought about the people who lived that day, families of the passengers and crew and the people living in the area and I couldn’t help but do something. These are God’s people.”

Knowles chose to work in the park office, cleaning tributes left at the temporary memorial. She was a volunteer from 2003 until 2010 when the park office moved from its Somerset location to its permanent headquarters, located within the park. She plans to return to her volunteer work when the move to the permanent location is complete.

Former Park Service Superintendent Joanne Hanley recalls the memorial’s humble beginnings.

“When the temporary memorial was first set up it was very raw and organic; the grief, the expressions of visitors,” she said.

Hanley, now president of the Gettysburg Foundation that a permanent memorial, believed that a permanent memorial would show maturation in how this country would deal with the events of 9/11.

“As the country’s knowledge of Flight 93 increased, the memorial matured, visible in the expression of the permanent memorial,” said Hanley.

The design, created by Paul Murdoch, consists of the Memorial Plaza, a stone area build right next to the area where Flight 93 crashed. Visitors can see the impact site, made visible by a boulder out in the field. Showing the actual flight path of the plane is a wall with 40 marbles slabs. Each slab is etched with the name of one of the passengers and crew.

Construction will continue at the memorial to create a circular area, known as the Field of Remembrance, which will be surrounded by 40 groves of trees. The final piece of the project will be the 93-foot Tower of Voices, displayed at the entrance of the park, where visitors may hear the 40 wind chimes, each with a different pitch to represent the individual voices of the passengers and crew.

“Paul Murdoch’s vision fits perfectly onto the landscape,” said Hanley.

She feels the new approach to the permanent memorial builds more of a sense of anticipation than if visitors can drive right up to it.

“The experience will also change because visitors will be closer to the crash site,” she said. “They will be able to touch the crash site spiritually and emotionally.”

Felt also acknowledged the emotional impact of the memorial and the services that weekend.

“There is a painful memory tied to the memorial and the events of 9/11,” he said. “Our painful remembrance keeps them alive in our hearts.”

Hanley said getting to this point was a difficult task, a long journey, but an experience she will never forget.

“It has been a long journey; rough at times. But it has been the most satisfying job in my life, and the most important moment of my life so far.”

Others agreed with her sentiment after visiting the new Flight 93 National Memorial.

Vice President Biden, a Senator in 2001 was present in the Capitol building on 9/11 for a joint session of Congress. “We owe these people an overwhelming personal debt of gratitude.”

“This place has been compared to many other places,” Said Gov. Tom Corbett. “Gettysburg, the Alamo; they all have a feeling of presence; of spirit. But the deeds aboard Flight 93 are like no other. They showed what makes America different. This site is the home of the Brave, may they rest in peace.”