Flight 93 National Memorial
On the morning of September 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by Al Queda terrorists who hijacked four commercial jet airliners. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York City, a third crashed into the Pentagon near Washington D.C., and the fourth, United Flight 93, was flying east toward D.C., but crashed in an open field in Pennsylvania. The Flight 93 National Memorial honors the courageous passengers and crew who fought the hijackers and stopped them from reaching their target (probably the U.S. Capitol building).
The memorial is about an hour’s drive northeast of Fallingwater. From the parking lot, we walked along a black marble walkway that followed the flight path and counted down the events that preceded it. At the end of the walkway, there was a viewing area where we could look across a large, open field. At the far edge of the field, a boulder marked the crash site, and in front of it was the Memorial Plaza with the Wall of Names.
At the Visitors Center, a series of exhibits told the story of Flight 93. We re-lived the awful events of that fateful morning through a multimedia time line. We saw video, photos, and artifacts from the intense FBI investigation that recovered the flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder, and other critical evidence. We learned about the 40 passengers and crew members who were on board, and listened to some of the voice mail messages they left for their loved ones. The story was respectfully told, and deeply poignant.
Before resuming our journey, we stopped to see the Tower of Voices. Made from concrete and 93 feet tall, it was actually a huge musical instrument with 40 wind chimes (aluminum tubes). When the wind blew, we could hear mellow tones emanating from the Tower.
It is difficult to imagine how it felt to be on Flight 93. I am in awe of the heroism of those passengers and crew. I’m grateful that their families and friends can take comfort that their story is being told, and that they will not be forgotten.
