Bells rung, names read in honor of Flight 93 victims

The hijackers are believed to have wanted to crash it into the US Capitol. “Some people thought it would nearly be too much”.

Felt stood perfectly still, his head bowed slightly, as he listened to the frightened voices of three long-dead victims of Flight 93, their final words captured on answering machines just before the plane crashed into a reclaimed strip mine on the morning of September 11, 2001.

Calvin Wilson of Herndon, Virginia, a brother-in-law of Flight 93 co-pilot LeRoy Homer of Marlton, New Jersey, said the actions of the passengers and crew that day provide America with an enduring lesson. It took off from Newark worldwide Airport and was bound for San Francisco, but, because of the struggle, the flight went down in the Pennsylvania countryside.

Another exhibit presents the view from the rear cabin of a Boeing 757, an attempt to show what the cabin looked like from the passengers’ perspective.

“This is a major piece of everything that happened on 9/11”, said Alan Hantman, a Flight 93 Memorial visitor.

Visitors walk a black path that mirrors the approach of Flight 93 and ends at a promontory overlooking the crash site.

The visitor center officially opens today with a ceremony here.

People sit under umbrellas as rain falls during the Flight 93…

He said that as he turned toward the field on Thursday “there were emotions stirring in me that I hadn’t felt in many years”.

The event hasn’t changed the community, he said.

The Wall of Names is one of the most striking features of the memorial and is a constant reminder of the cost of that day of terror. The trip also encouraged students to continue their hometown efforts to raise money – 93 cents at a time – for ongoing work on the memorial. A family member may have just been there. “Not only those those of us who remember it, but an entirely new generation”. They deal with loss in their own ways.

Dail said it is worth the time and effort to get to the memorial.”Most definitely visit and take the opportunity to learn about this”.

“People from the Allegheny region are very practical, reasonable and caring people”, Romesberg said.

September 11, 2001 was such an unforgettable day that it left some type of mark on every American’s heart, whether directly impacted by the attacks or not. “It represents the first victory, if you will, against terrorism and terrorists disrupting daily life”. Two ceremonies were held at the Flight 93 Memorial in Union City.