On our way to Niagara Falls, we saw a sign for the Flight 93 National Memorial site. We decided to stop on our way home and I am so glad that we were able to. September 11 is an event in my life that I remember exactly where I was and how I felt. I have had the honor on several occasion visiting the Pentagon and World Trade Center memorials.
When flight 93 was hijacked it is thought that the terrorist were aiming the plane to the U.S. Capitol. However, the 40 passengers and crew on board did something heroic and took the plane down in a field in rural Pennsylvania - flight time 20 minutes from the U.S. Capitol.
We first went to the visitors center.
Flight 93 was a routine flight from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco, California. The plane could hold 186 passengers and on this day the plane was 30% occupied.
After the Visitors Center we drove to Memorial Plaza.
At Memorial Plaza we a special Memorial Day presentation in which the names of the passengers and crew were read and we observed a moment of silence. After the presentation we walked to the memorial wall.
Flight 93 crashed into this field upside down going over 500 miles per hour. There is a 17 ton rock in the field that only the family can go to. I like that family has a place that only they can go to.
The wall with each name on it, including an unborn child.
Visiting the Flight 93 has been on my list of things to see while on the east coast. I am glad that we were able to visit the memorial on Memorial Day.
Oh traffic is always fun in this area - 1 hour to go 5 miles - yeah, that sounds about right.
Cherished this spontaneous road trip with the cousin!
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