Giving a Moment of Thanks at the Shanksville Flight 93 Site

On our drive to Williamsburg over Thanksgiving, we just so happen to get off at the exit for a quick rest stop, and noticed the signs highlighting the Flight 93 crash site in Pennsylvania. So we decided to make a detour and have a moment of remembrance of why we are thankful this holiday season.

The half hour or so drive to the site was rather sobering knowing what lies ahead, ultimately a reminder of the worst attack on American soil, and the day all Americans, and probably people all around the world felt closely connected. The flight 93 site is also a reminder of the brave hero’s that worked for the common good, making a common field one day into a field of honor forever.

When we arrived at the memorial, we started talking with a volunteer about the site. What we quickly learned is that she lives at the property with the red barn to the right. On September 11, 2001, her husband and her were 15 miles away shopping. At the time of the crash (10:03 AM), she said the entire building shook and the power went out. By the time they got back to their property, the entire area was in lock-down, and the only way to get in was by showing proper ID with their names and addresses.

Hearing the woman spell out a first-hand experience of that day was a touching reminder of how we all were impacted.

The walkway out to the memorial and crash site contained small nooks, that guests had filled with little trinkets over the years.

The plane was traveling at 563 miles per hour, crashing upside down at the far end of the site. What surprised me most was that the plane had only 33 passengers, along with the 7 crew, and 4 hijackers. While it still was a tremendous loss of life, for a plane traveling from New Jersey to San Fransisco, I would have expected it to be a lot more full.

The crash site location itself is off-limits and gated from general public access. The only people allowed within the area is family and government officials. In a way, I was glad that the area was quarantined from access by the public, as the family of the victims should be the only ones allowed to see the area.

The hemlock grove and boulder, pictured above, represent the initial impact site. Many of the trees were removed as a result of the crash or were later removed due to damage.

The Shanksville site is a former surface mining site, and pretty much consisted of open fields prior to the crash. The memorial architects are in the process of restoring several areas to make a lasting legacy for those that were lost. Memorial groves are being planted along the access road, consisting of seven species of native Pennsylvanian trees. Another part of the massive project is reforestation of the Laurel Highlands site.

Always remember 9-11.

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