Flight 93 National Memorial
On September 11, 2001, on a day like no other, the passengers and crew of Flight 93 were the first heroes to fight back against the terrorists, in their actions, they courageously gave their lives. Flight 93 National Memorial will be a permanent memorial to the heroes on that plane.
Temporary
Memorial
As officials cordoned the Flight 93 crash site to kept it off-limits to all but recovery workers, motorists began to stop by and began leaving flowers on a hill top over looking the crash site. Soon flags and a cross went up. Today, the temporary memorial consists of a 40 foot long chain-link fence, a guardrail where many visitors leave messages of poems, bible versus, and personal thoughts, and a small building which is staffed by volunteer ambassadors. During the summer months an estimated 4,000 visitors per week stop, they leave flags, hats, and countless other personal mementoes to pay honor to our heroes. There are several memorials including marble statues, angles, flags, and a large cross.
Before September 11, 2001, few of us knew who the passengers and crew of Flight 93 were, or that they were heroes. Now, we share that knowledge with their families and loved ones.
Permanent Memorial
On September 10, 2002 a bill passed both houses of Congress and was signed by President George W. Bush on September 24, 2002 to become Public Law No. 107-226:
Flight 93 National Memorial Act - Establishes a memorial at the September 11, 2001, crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in the Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, to honor the passengers and crew of Flight 93.
Establishes the Flight 93 Advisory Commission to: (1) make recommendations for the planning, design, construction, and long-term management of a permanent memorial; and (2) advise the Secretary of the Interior in the development of a management plan for the site.
States that the terrorists on United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001 shall not be considered passengers or crew of that flight.
The permanent memorial will encompass approximately 2,200 acres, of which approximately 1,355 acres includes the crash site. On September 11, 2004 a design competition began for the design of the permanent memorial. The competition was open to design professionals, as well as the public. More than 1,000 entries were received of those, five finalists were recommended by an independent jury of family members and design professionals. The finalists were requested to refine their designs and to fully explain their concepts. On September 7, 2005, the selected design was announced to the public. The design includes five components, The Entry Portal, 40 Memorial Groves, Wetlands, Sacred Ground, and the Western Overlook. The design is in keeping with the mission staement of the memorial, "A common field one day. A field of honor forever."
Completion of the memorial is under the direction of the National Park Service and its partners, The Flight 93 Advisory Commission, The Flight 93 Memorial Task Force, and The Families of Flight 93. Based on available funding, the Partners hope to have a ribbon-cutting on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.