Flight 93 Memorial

We headed off toward Somerset/Shanksville, PA from our family cabin near Fryburg, PA to find the Flight 93 Memorial site.  It is a 2.5hr ride.  It was not clearly marked and all we had to find it was based on google searches of the area.  We are posting this in 2015 to highlight our trip on 7/5/10.  9/11/11 marked the 10 year anniversary of the tragic day and they built a more formal memorial in this place.  These are picture of the "memorial" in it's original state as it stood for the first 9 years.  It was extremely moving.  We have not been back since they have put in the "final memorial"; however, we will always remember this place this way.



If you look close, you will see a US Flag that identifies where the Flight 93 heroes and victims made impact and are eternally buried out on the hill.  The field is off limits out of respect for the deceased.  The only people who are allowed in this area are the family members.  A new memorial will be built before 2011.



Here is where the US Flag is if you could not see it.

Part of the memorial wall

The makeshift visitor center is a shed.

You can tell from the distance - we are literally in the middle of nowhere.  What once was just a big farmer's field.  The next time we visit there will be memorials and monuments built out in the distance beyond this fence.



One of many memorial plaques.



So many people have been here to leave a trinket in honor of the victims - there were many different items left such as fireman helmets, flags, coins, patches, motorcycle patches, pins, shirts, bracelets and much more.  People of all ages have left things that have a significant meaning to them.  You can tell by the sun fading and colors that some items have lasted quite a while.  We left a Sacajawea $1 coin because they are rare, just as the heroes of this flight were.  Wished we knew of this tradition and we would have brought something VROC with us.

One post with a rosary and other items for each person.







 



Benches are placed facing the wooden cross in the direction of the flag in the distance where the victims are entombed.  Each of the 40 victims names are on the benches.

 

This was a very solemn and emotional place.  Probably one of the quietest and most moving national parks we have or will ever visit.  This one hits you very hard....especially because it was "natural" and had not yet been "glamorized."