 Above, wall of chain link and wood at the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, Pa. holds everything from automobile tags to hats left in tribute to those aboard United Flight 93. Top, a sign along Route (U.S. Highway) 30 just outside Stoystown, Pa. points visitors down Lambertville Road in the direction of the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, Pa.Paul Sims/SDN By PAUL SIMS
Starkville Daily News
SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — Nearly a year ago, my wife Amanda and I began to plan a trip to visit Pennsylvania, her home state.
Not long into the discussion, I chimed in that I wanted to go Shanksville, which meant one thing, visiting the temporary Flight 93 Memorial.
On Sept. 11, 2001, United Flight 93 plowed into a rolling valley in the Keystone State's western hills at a speed approaching 600 mph, setting the surrounding countryside ablaze and leaving a black pock mark on this serene stretch of ground.
The official explanation — and the one I believe true — is that a number of passengers and crew devised a plan to retake the aircraft from terrorists and carried out their efforts to regain control.
Editor's note: The following story is a narrative written by News Editor Paul Sims about a recent visit he and his family made to Shanksville, Pa., where United Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, after passengers on the jetliner fought back against the terrorists who had hijacked the plane — one of four hijacked that day.
Those involved in the counterattack were aware jetliners already crashed into the World Trade Centers in New York and realized their aircraft also had a role in the broader attack under way, according to the Flight 93 National Memorial brochure.
A third plane hit the Pentagon in the Washington, D.C. area
The 9/11 Commission determined the hijackers "remained at the controls of the plane but must have judged that the passengers and crew were only seconds from overcoming them," the memorial brochure reads.
Officials believe the terrorists aboard Flight 93 had a fourth target in their sights as they maneuvered the plane toward the southeast in a path toward Washington, possibly with a plan to destroy the White House or the nation's Capitol.
"They were defeated by the alerted, unarmed passengers and crew of Flight 93," the memorial brochure reads.
I'd awaited our visit to the memorial with eager yet solemn anticipation.
Particularly in the early months after Sept. 11, I collected newspapers and an assortment of other reminders of the events of that terrible yet amazing day — terrible in what it did our nation and its people and amazing in the stories of heroism and sacrifice which emerged.
This especially includes the story of Flight 93, hence my overwhelming, long-standing desire to visit the site.
Given a number of factors, including a previously unplanned addition to our self-guided itinerary, we debated the night before whether we could manage the stop.
However, without another thought about not going, we pulled out of a hotel on the morning of June 26 and followed the path laid out for us by online map searches to the site.
A portion of this path included Route (U.S. Highway) 219, the officially-designated Flight 93 Memorial Highway.
Overcast skies greeted our arrival at the memorial, which is — from what I remember — not much more than 50 yards long and 30 yards wide, including parking areas.
A permanent memorial is planned.
The makeshift memorial sits about a quarter-mile from the crash site, protected by a chain-link fence and marked by an American flag and is reserved now only for visits by family members.
Our 2-year-old daughter, Jadyn, probably won't fully understand what she saw for many years to come, but she took part in our visit.
I immediately started taking pictures of the memorial, which is a wild mixture of the formal and informal — from stone markers to children's' toys.
Amanda and Jadyn sat down on one of the benches which bear the names of passengers and crew aboard the flight.
Amanda listened as a National Parks Service representative told the story of Flight 93.
Tears began to form in Amanda's eyes as she sat in front of the chain-link and wooden wall loaded with all manner of memorabilia.
We hadn't thought about bringing anything to leave, but sometimes we understand each other without verbal communication.
Without passing a word between us, we determined the only thing of value we could leave behind would my beloved baseball cap emblazoned with the logo the Montgomery Biscuits, the AA baseball team in my hometown of Montgomery, Ala.
A major reason it's beloved is that helped me remember my roots.
I have a spare, different version of a Biscuits hat but the one on the trip with me has been far and away my favorite hat over the last several years.
After quietly verbalizing our previously silent thoughts and agreeing on what to do, I went to the rental car and got the cap. We found a pen and Amanda wrote the following: "The Sims Family thanks you. 'Let's Roll!" Paul, Amanda & Jadyn. 6-26-08."
Why did it become so imperative to both of us that we leave something behind?
I think the sacrifice of these people became so evident, so real once we saw the place of its conclusion with our own eyes.
I looked for a spot on the wall to place the hat and asked Jadyn to help me put it there. We left for our next stop not long afterward.
As we celebrate our nation's independence today, I'm reminded that bravery and sacrifice forged it into existence. There's no doubt that along with the physical targets they in mind, the terrorists who attacked us that day had other, larger intentions to disrupt our way of life, which has liberty as one of its cornerstones.
The brave souls who are memorialized on this little patch of Pennsylvania helped keep our way of life intact.
As the nation moves forward, we should remain ever mindful of the sacrifices of the men and women of Flight 93 and the warriors who followed them in responding to the events of Sept. 11, 2001. |
