Flight 93 National Memorial

In July, we did our first post-Covid road trip to Wisconsin. The first stop was the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was satisfying to finally visit the last of the 9/11 memorials.

Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA (9 July 2021)

Ahead to the left is the Visitor Center. The walkway

Is purposely aligned with the plane’s flight path.

It ends at an overlook where you can view the

Wall of Names and the field where Flight 93 crashed.

On this 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack, I suspect there will be more than the usual remembrances…not just because it’s one of those round number years but because we finally are getting out of Afghanistan and not without difficulty.

On this date, I have posted images and impressions from visits to the Pentagon Memorial (2014), the World Trade Center site (2015), and Arlington National Cemetery (2018). In 2011, I reflected on a long history with the World Trade Center and encouraged digitizing old photos.

View From the Observation Deck Toward the Crash Site

Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA (9 July 2021)

United Airlines Flight 93 took off from Newark Airport in New Jersey. Like all the other hijacked planes, it had fewer passengers (to minimize possible resistance) and a west coast destination (to contribute maximum burning fuel to the intended targets). Unlike the other hijackings, the heroic actions by the passengers and crew thwarted the terrorists’ intent. Instead of crashing the airliner into the Capitol in Washington, it slammed into this remote field, 126 air miles from its target. The 17-ton sandstone boulder in the distance marks the area of impact and the final resting place of the occupants. Only family of the passengers and crew are permitted to approach that site.

 

Flight 93 National Memorial Visitor Center

Shanksville, PA (9 July 2021)

The Visitor Center is all about the tragic event with emphasis on the bravery and humanity of the passengers and crew. The event records and artifacts are displayed in minute detail and every person on the plane is identified and described. One can listen to the recorded phone calls that some on board made to loved ones. I could not bring myself to do it.

Wall of Names, Memorial Plaza,

Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA (9 July 2021)

On the flat land below the overlook, between the Visitor Center and the crash site, is the Wall of Names. Each of the forty victims has an inscribed marble tablet.

Tower of Voices,

Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA (9 July 2021)

The Tower of Voices was the final phase of the Memorial project and was dedicated in September 2020. Symbolically-designed, the Tower is a ninety-three-foot tall carillon. The ’C’-shaped concrete structure contains forty polished aluminum wind chimes, one for each of the passengers and crew.

Tower of Voices,

Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA (9 July 2021)

The forty chimes are between eight and sixteen inches in diameter and up to ten feet long. Using ‘music theory,’ each chime is designed to produce a tone that is sonically compatible with all the others. Unfortunately, we were there on a calm day and did not hear much ringing.

Given it was a nice summer Friday, Shanksville is pretty remote and the fact that this is a memorial site and not a natural wonder or amusement area, the visitor demographic was distinctive. It was an older crowd with very few young children…for good reason. There were more bikers and tattooed visitors who, I suspect, could be military veterans. I’m guessing that for many, like me, Shanksville, completed their 9-11 trifecta as well. Glad to finally get here to pay my respects.