Thousands visit Flight 93 site for dedication of memorial
-
Alice Hoagland, mother of Mark Bingham, who died on Flight 93, hugs Iraqi war veteran Glenn Crutchfield of Coal Hill, Ark. The Wall of Names has the names engraved of the 40 victims of the Flight 93 crash.
Share with others:
Todd Beamer. Georgine Rose Corrigan. First Officer Leroy Homer. Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas and Unborn Child. ...
The 40 names were read aloud slowly, carefully by poet Robert Pinsky, with two bells tolling after each one, at the Somerset County hilltop where they died a decade ago, while presidents listened, mothers quieted babies and a humid breeze ruffled the flags under a white canopy.
Saturday's dedication of the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville brought together a remarkable gathering of people associated with Sept. 11, 2001, the date of the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil in its history:
• Former President George W. Bush, his eyes glittering with emotion as he calmly recited the facts as they unfolded on that day.
• A white-haired, hoarse-voiced former President Bill Clinton linking ancient Greek warriors and the Alamo with the doomed but courageous passengers of that flight.
PG VIDEO: FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL DEDICATIONPG VIDEO: FLIGHT 93 SPECTATORSPG VIDEO: WALL OF NAMES• Vice President Joe Biden, with a speech that was powerful and personal (and contrary to his reputation, short).
• The families of the 40 people who died while fighting hijackers planning to fly the jetliner into a Washington, D.C., target.
• And more than 4,000 others who traveled to see the ceremony at the 2,200-acre slice of land set aside as a memorial to the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93.
Gordon Felt, president of the Families of Flight 93, thanked Somerset County, southwestern Pennsylvania and state and national leaders for their commitment to the memorial project. Mr. Felt, whose brother Edward died in the crash, later said, "I'm thrilled that this sacred ground is protected ... I have a place to come to be with my brother."
The ceremony started late, as officials struggled to cope with muddy conditions caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee and visitors were subjected to tight security.
First Published September 11, 2011 12:00 am
