A Visit to the Flight 93 Memorial

I’ll always remember the day. September 11th. This article is about a Visit to the Flight 93 Memorial.

I had worked third shift the night before and had gone to bed around 6am.   I woke up to multiple messages on my answering machine in the early afternoon.  Fearing the worst, I turned on the TV and watched like the rest of the world.  Shocked.  Horrified.  Saddened.

The following months were saturated with news stories about the attacks; not unlike the continuous coverage of COVID-19.   We learned the names of so many lost.  Then we started to learn the story of small group of individuals that acted as one.  These were the passengers and crew of United Flight 93.  It was and still is surreal to know their collective story.

Fast forward to the years of COVID-19.  Locked down and stuck, I was able to look research some day trips from Columbus.  Hiking and outdoor adventures remained high on our list, but the Flight 93 National Memorial had always been on my list to visit.

I decided to make the trip a father/son experience.  At age twelve, James knows the significance of 9/11 and what it means to the world, but I felt it was time to visit the physical location.  I really didn’t have set expectations, but I wanted to have more conversation and provide a place to ask questions.

We made the four-hour road trip to Shanksville, PA in July.  It was a quiet drive and once off the Pennsylvania turnpike, we found ourselves winding through the countryside.  The sleepy farmland stretched over rolling hills.  Just beautiful.

I’m not going to lie, when we arrived at the entrance, I was filled with emotion.  Not totally unexpected, but it still took me a little by surprise.  We winded our way and parked at the visitor center for our first stop.  A beautiful structure oriented to follow the final flight path of Flight 93.  Every detail deliberate in purpose.

Upon entering, I felt like I was in a time warp.   News footage from that fateful morning played in the background as we walked through the exhibit.  Artifacts recovered from the crash site were on display as well as items left during the recovery efforts.  Transcripts of final phone calls.  We walked, we talked, and we had amazing conversation.  The proof was when my son looked directly into my eyes and said, “I don’t know how someone could hate someone else this much.”  It was a moment of great clarity.  He understood.

We continued our day by driving down closer to the actual crash site.  The Wall of Names where every passenger and crew are listed.  A huge boulder that marks the final resting place for all on board.  Surrounded by beauty, a place for silent mediation and reflection.

Upon leaving the Memorial Plaza, we hiked a while on one of the many foot paths. 

Flowers, butterflies, birds all dotted this idyllic place.  Beauty in sight of sorrow.  Solace in a place once burning with chaos.  We didn’t speak much during these walks except to point out a piece of nature in the area.

Finally, we stopped at the Tower of Voices; a 93-foot concrete structure that will eventually hold 40 individual wind chimes symbolizing each passenger and crew member.  Although not complete, the tower is beautiful in design and with a little imagination, you could hear the voices represented.  A wonderful conclusion to our visit.

The Flight 93 is a different type of memorial.  The hushed tones and the reflection from most visitors is palpable.  Maybe not the most ideal representation of a typical outdoor adventure, but most certainly, a place you should visit and learn about these amazing people.

Christian Adams

Lorraine G Bay

Todd M Beamer

Alan Anthony Beaven

Mark Bingham

Deora Frances Bodley

Sandy Waugh Bradshaw

Marion R Britton

Thomas E Burnett Jr.

William Joseph Cashman

Georgine Rose Corrigan

Patricia Cushing

Jason M Dahl

Joseph DeLuca

Patrick Joseph Driscoll

Edward Porter Felt

Jane C Folger 

Colleen L Fraser

Andrew (Sonny) Garcia

Jeremy Logan Glick

Kristin Osterholm White Gould

Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas

Donald Freeman Greene

Wanda Anita Green

Linda Gronlund

Richard J Guadagno

LeRoy Homer

Toshiya Kuge

CeeCee Ross Lyles

Hilda Marcin

Waleska Martinez

Nicole Carol Miller

Louis J Nacke II

Donald Arthur Peterson

Jean Hoadley Peterson

Mark David Rothenberg

Christine Ann Snyder

John Talignani

Honor Elizabeth Wainio

Deborah Jacobs Welsh

These names…names of resolve…names of hope…names of selflessness should never be forgotten.  

The Flight 93 National Memorial is a special place.

Jason M