Americans honor Flight 93 victims

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — They came in vans, buses, cars, RVs and on motorcycles. Some wore suits and… SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — They came in vans, buses, cars, RVs and on motorcycles. Some wore suits and dresses, while others wore sweatshirts or flannel.

They wanted to pay their respects to those who had died in the Flight 93 crash on Sept. 11, 2001. Many said it was the least they could do for those who died so that others could live. As early as 7 a.m. on Sunday, visitors solemnly treaded down the glistening grassy hill toward a small stadium set up in the middle of a field.

Sunday’s commemorative ceremony included emotional speeches by politicians and President Barack Obama laying a wreath at the memorial. Obama came to Somerset County following a visit to Ground Zero earlier in the morning.

More than 5,000 people — mostly regular citizens — attended the three-hour-long ceremony honoring the 40 passengers and crew members who died in the crash.

The Flight 93 Memorial is simple. In the middle of a bare field is the Wall of Names, which was unveiled in a ceremony Saturday.

A black slate path runs along beside the 40 white granite wall slabs inscribed with the names of the passengers and crew. The memorial stands atop the path where the plane crashed An small offshoot path directs visitors to a wooden gate, which has a large stone placed about 100 yards away, signifying where the plane came to a halt.

A bell clanged as friends and family members of the victims said the names of every passenger and crew member at the beginning of the ceremony. The first woman, who announced passenger Christian Adams, exemplified how the rest of the commemoration would proceed as she stifled back tears.

U.S. Rep. Mark Critz, D-Johnstown, struggled to make it through his speech, recounting when he watched the events of Sept. 11 unfold from the mayor’s office of Patton, Pa. He tried to imagine what was going through the minds of those aboard the plane and whether or not others could do the same.

“As I continue to think about this flight path in, I think about what could have been going through all those people’s minds,” Critz said. “Did they know the scope or magnitude of what they were doing? I’m sure they had some idea, but they couldn’t have known what it would mean to all of us.”

Sunday’s ceremony came on the second of two days of honoring the new $52 million Flight 93 National Memorial. The only National Park illustrating the history of Sept. 11, it will include more features in the coming years, including a visitor center, which will require an additional $10 million to construct.

Ground Zero and the Pentagon also had memorial services Sunday honoring the victims of the terrorist attacks. Other small memorial services were scattered around the country to honor those who died on 9/11. Obama also paid his respects Saturday at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Gov. Tom Corbett began the remarks of the day in Shanksville. He said that throughout the past 10 years, the crash of Flight 93 has been compared to the Battle of Gettysburg and the battle at the Alamo. But he said that there is no true comparison for the passenger uprising of Flight 93.

“The passengers of Flight 93 charted a new course, set a new standard for American bravery,” Corbett said. “They did not choose to go into battle when they boarded that jetliner.”

Flight 93’s passengers and crew were killed 10 years ago while trying to prevent hijackers from using the plane to crash into the White House or U.S. Capitol building. Less than an hour before the crash in the field, two other planes hit the World Trade Center, and a third plane struck the Pentagon.

Corbett spoke of passenger Honor Elizabeth Wainio, 27, who spoke on the phone with her stepmother before storming the pilot cabin.

“It hurts me that it’s going to be so much harder for you all than it is for me,” Wainio had said over the phone.

Corbett said that “nothing we build with stone and mortar can sufficiently honor the deeds” of the passengers and crew of Flight 93.

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Chambersburg, said that the horrific events and heroism that followed should never be forgotten, and that the heroic actions of 40 people would serve as an inspiration for future generations.

Former Gov. Tom Ridge, who was in office during the terrorist attacks and was later named the nation’s first secretary of Homeland Security, held back tears before beginning his speech.

“Americans do not live in fear, they live in freedom, and they will never let that go,” said Ridge, who serves as a co-chair of the Flight 93 Memorial. “America is, and always will be, a resilient nation.”

At noon, President Barack Obama arrived, laying a wreath at the center of the Wall of Names. He stayed to shake hands and speak with several of the family members of the victims. Chants of “USA! USA!” echoed in the field.

Claudia Kelly, 61, of Logansport, Ind., said that visiting the site felt like something she owed the country.

“I felt like I had to come,” Kelly said. “These people made such a sacrifice.”

At the conclusion of the ceremony, after Obama departed to visit the crash site at the Pentagon, the public was permitted to view the Wall of Names. People who had never met the men and women aboard the plane walked slowly down the path, placing items at the feet of the slabs.

JoAnn Saam, 50, of Newport, Pa., had previously never had the chance to visit the site, but she promised herself that she wouldn’t miss the event’s 10th anniversary. She placed at the memorial a flower for each person — red carnations for the women, purple carnations for the men and a white carnation for the one unborn child.

“I want to honor the people that died for us,” Saam said, while “Taps” started to play softly in the background.