Flight 93 passengers, crew to be honored on 9/11 anniversary
File photo
The 24th anniversary of the most devastating assault on the United States, which prompted an overwhelming response of national unity, is less than a week away.
The terrorist attacks on the nation, brazenly on U.S. soil, occurred Sept. 11, 2001, when hijackers crashed four jets, resulting in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
Two of those jets obliterated the twin towers of New York City’s World Trade Center; one heavily damaged the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.; and – one – Flight 93 – crash landed in a field in Western Pennsylvania.
Terrorists who had commandeered Flight 93 apparently were headed to the U.S. Capitol Building, intending to wreak further havoc, when 40 passengers and crew members courageously fended them off, sacrificing their lives to abort the hijackers’ devious mission.
On Thursday, exactly 24 years later, the passengers and crew who perished will be honored at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Somerset County, where their jet went down.
They will be memorialized in a 30-minute Moment of Remembrance, a 9:45 a.m. ceremony featuring the reading of names and a moment of silence. A wreath-laying and gate-closing ceremony will take place near the Wall of Names on the Memorial Plaza.
The memorial will open at 7 a.m. Visitors are advised to arrive an hour before the observance to allow time to park and shuttle to the event site.
All visitors will park in designated lots and shuttle to and from the event site. Visitors are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear, as the ceremony will be held in a field and require walking on mowed grass and uneven ground.
Accessible buses will be available to accommodate wheelchairs. Standing room and ADA seating will be available.
The visitors center will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 11. All programming will be free and open to the public.
This will be the third year the National Park Service and the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial will offer “Teach to Remember 9/11” virtual education programs, which will be available Sept. 8-12. The programs will include the Moment of Remembrance on Sept. 11. Classrooms can join the ceremony via livestream.
“We are excited to again host a week of virtual programs in partnership with Flight 93 National Memorial,” said Donna Gibson of the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial. “Teachers and students from across America have the opportunity to connect and learn from rangers at the memorial about this story.”