Day Tripper: Flight 93 Memorial

With the 10th anniversary this year of the terrorist attacks, the events of September 11, 2001, are sure to be on everyone’s mind

As most people in the Greater Pittsburgh area already know, one of the four ill-fated flights landed in a field not far from us in Shanksville, which just about an hour outside the city.

When hijackers took over United Airlines Flight 93, 33 brave passengers and seven crew members took action and tried to take back command of the flight. The plane crashed at 563 miles-per-hour in the lonely field, hitting no buildings or people on the ground. All passengers, crew members and hijackers were killed upon impact.

Experts believe Flight 93, like the three other hijacked flights, was intended to strike a large building such as the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. The passengers and crew of Flight 93 prevented such an attack.

The Flight 93 Memorial began shortly after the terrorist attacks when people started traveling to the site of the crash. Makeshift memorials were set up as people left personal mementos, flowers, flags, baseball caps and just about every other object imaginable.

In 2002 legislation was signed to create a permanent memorial to Flight 93, and on Sept. 10 of this year, Phase 1 of the memorial will be dedicated. On Sept. 11 the brave men and women of Flight 93 will be honored again.

Mike Litterst, public affairs specialist for the National Park Service, said Vice President Joe Biden will dedicate the memorial and give the keynote address. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are scheduled to visit Sept. 11 for a ceremonial laying of a wreath, but the time of their visit has yet to be announced.

“We expect a good turnout, of course, with it being the 10th anniversary, with the dedication and then the visits from the White House,” Litterst said.

If the construction of the memorial seems a long time in coming, it's because the memorial design was the result of an international competition. More than 1,000 entrants competed for the honor of designing the memorial before work was started to turn the temporary memorial into a permanent display.

On Sept. 10 the Visitor’s Shelter, Memorial Plaza wall, the Ring Road and Field of Honor will be dedicated. The memorial was designed to accommodate 250,000 visitors per year, according to the Flight 93 website. The area was designed as a sacred ground for visitors where they can pay their respects to those who lost their lives protecting our country.

With a long wall that has the names of the 40 passengers and crew inscribed along the front, the Memorial Plaza is the focus of the park.

“The wall will be covered, and as part of the dedication it will be unveiled,” Litterst said.

The Field of Honor marks where Flight 93 crashed.

“The walkway follows the flight route and ends overlooking the field,” Litterst said. “The general public is not allowed on the field.”

Those who lost family members on Flight 93 will have a private showing of the wall Friday night. They are expected to remain for the weekend ceremonies.  

Additional phases at the park include a "Tower of Voices" that will play recorded stories of those whom the Flight 93 crash affected, more landscaping and access work.

The memorial dedication ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 10 with a musical prelude. The formal dedication will be at 12:30 p.m. There will be activities throughout the afternoon, including ceremonial wreath-laying services and a luminaria lighting. The park will close at 10 p.m. Saturday.

The 10th Anniversary Commemorative Service ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 11 with a musical prelude. The official program will start at 9:30 a.m. There will be special activities until 5 p.m. The park will close at 7 p.m. Sunday night.

The park also reopen at 2 p.m. Sept. 12.

If you're going:

There are no entrance fees to the memorial, nor are there tickets or reservations for the Sept. 11 weekend dedication ceremonies. All seating, etc., is first-come, first-serve. Visitors should expect large crowds. Everyone in attendance must pass through security for this event.

The park will open at 7 a.m. Sept. 10. Park officials recommend visitors leave a two-hour time period to go through security. Guidelines and the schedule of events are posted on the park website. The park is open for visitors year-round.