SHANKSVILLE MEMORIAL UNITED 93
September 11, 2001 Pennsylvania This Tuesday in September started like most Fall days in the landscaping business, with our crew doing lawn work at a client's home south of Pittsburgh. The day became extraordinary when the client came out of the house to say one of the World Trade Center towers was on fire. We went back into the house and watched in awe as the scene unfolded on her small kitchen television. Our first thought was that an errant plane (initial news speculated it was a small plane) went astray and accidentally hit the skyscraper. As we continued to watch, the second tower was hit by a commercial jet. At that point, we knew these were no accidents. We listened intently to the radio while driving to our second client's house. All US flights were quickly grounded, but there were reports of a commercial jet passing near Pittsburgh, just to our north. We watched the skies and continued listening to radio news reports, but never caught a glimpse of United 93. In the following weeks, we learned the story of the brave passengers on Flight 93 who fought back against their captors, sacrificing their own lives in order to prevent another important target, and more innocent lives, from being lost. That planned target could easily have been the US Capitol Building, with our Congressmen being the casualties. This web page is dedicated to the memory of the 33 passengers and 7 crew members on Flight 93. The photos below will give those who haven't seen the temporary memorial an opportunity to sense what it's like to visit Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
	Welcome to SHANKSVILLE Home of the Vikings 'A Friendly Little Town' Est. 1803 Shanksville Honors the Heroes of Flight 93
Sunday April 2, 2006 As my motorcycle journey drew close to the memorial site, there was a special feeling that's hard to describe, the same feeling a person gets when visiting hallowed ground in Gettysburg, or approaching 'The Wall' in Washington, DC. As these photos clearly show, the individuals on Flight 93 are not forgotten, and live on in many ways, shapes, and forms.
Sunday June 10, 2007 Return to Shanksville A stop along the way at one of the Somerset Sheetz stores brought about an amazing conversation. A man in his 40's walked past with his young daughter, as they headed into the store for a Kit Kat candy bar. On their return trip, I struck up a conversation with them about her pink shoes which were very similar to the 'Jellies' our daughter wore at 4-years-old. After mentioning that my next stop was Shanksville (June 2007 photo on left) he told me that he was working outdoors in the scrap yard above the crash site the day Flight 93 came roaring over at "telephone pole height" with its wings dipping back and forth before its final rollover and high speed plunge into the earth only a quarter-mile away. He said an older fellow was cutting scrap with him and had taken his hearing aids out, but the roar and explosion was so loud he thought a large, nearby gas line had exploded. His firsthand account cleared up two things: 1) it really did happen - which discounts the conspiracy theorists, and 2) it wasn't shot down - he said there was another plane in the sky (similar to a Lear jet) but that plane was way off in the distance. Amazingly enough, his little girl was born one year later, to the day, on 9-11-02, a fact that still seemed amazing, even to him. Whose Bible was it then? My return visit to the Thunder on the Mountain chapel provided an answer that I needed to research further. There had been a local newspaper story (see below) about a Bible that survived the fiery crash virtually unburned, and it reportedly belonged to a young Japanese passenger named Toshiya Kuge. However, according to Reverend Alphonse Mascherino at the chapel, Kuge's mother had visited with him a couple times and knew of no such Bible that her son possessed. If her son had owned the Bible, she feels it would have been given back to her by the authorities, and no Bible was ever returned. Therefore, the Bible must have belonged to someone else. Later reports have indicated that Toshiya Kuge was a Buddhist. Bible mystery solved During the ten-year anniversary of 911, we learned that the Bible in question for all these years belonged to Don Peterson of Spring Lake, New Jersey. Don and his wife Jean were scheduled for a later flight - Flight 91 - but arrived at the airport early enough to switch to Flight 93.
Map to Shanksville View Larger Map
*Arrival at the temporary Shanksville Memorial* By chance, my visit coincided with a young lady who was personally devastated on 9-11 when she lost a close childhood friend who was a New York Firefighter, when the south tower collapsed. During a period of reflection, she decided what artwork would appropriately respect the remembrance. Below are photos of the custom painted car she drives to the Shanksville Memorial every year.

CUSTOM PAINTED 9-11 CAR

THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH...

I SHALL FEAR NO EVIL...

New York Fire Fighters raising Old Glory

FOR YOU ARE WITH ME...

NEVER FORGET

ALWAYS REMEMBERING 9-11-01

WHY THE PASSENGERS HAD TIME TO ACT

Flight 93 was 41 minutes late leaving Newark Airport for its planned flight to San Francisco. This delay allowed time for the passengers on Flight 93 to learn of the other three hijackings via their cell phones, and realize their planned fate; being a passenger on a jumbo jet that would be flown into the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, or perhaps even the White House.

As the Boeing 757 neared Cleveland, Ohio at 9:28am, it abruptly changed course and turned southeast. Just before 10:00am the plane was seen flying very low and erratically in the Pittsburgh area. While traveling at an estimated 500 mph, the 757 crashed at 10:03am into a reclaimed strip mine area in Somerset County, killing all 33 passengers, 7 crew and 4 hijackers.

FLIGHT 93
TEMPORARY MEMORIAL
PHOTOS

An estimated 150,000 annual visitors

NEVER FORGET
9-11 MEMORIAL RUN
OXFORD, MI.

LETS ROLL...
IN MEMORIAM

Those gallant passengers and flight crew members of United Airlines Flight 93 that on September 11th 2001 defeated the coward terrorist hijackers and their intended purpose.
Blessed are the Peacemakers... for their heroism has allowed freedom to go on ringing.

WE HONOR YOU...
    WE ADMIRE YOU...
        WE SALUTE YOU...
...AND WE SHALL NEVER FORGET.

MAY THIS LAND REMAIN FOREVER... AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL.

Herbert Erdmenger
La Rioja, Villa Canales
Guatemala, Guatemala

I LOVE
AMERICA

American
Firefighters m/c

Chicago to New York
9-11 Memorial Ride

Never Forget 9-11
Ride to Pentagon

RELIGIOUS ITEMS

BASE OF THE CROSS

America's 9/11 Ride Foundation, Inc.

FOR OUR HEROES

MEMORIAL WALL

MEMORIAL ITEMS ATTACHED TO THE FENCING

MEMENTOS OF EVERY TYPE

MEMENTOS NUMBERING IN THE THOUSANDS

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down ones life for his friends

JOHN 15:13
THANK YOU

IN THIS ROCK WE PERPETUALLY COMMEMORATE THE COURAGE OF THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES ON UAL FLIGHT #93 ON SEPTEMBER 11 2001

THEIR LEGACY WILL ENDURE
FUTURE GENERATIONS WILL BE REMINDED OF THEIR HONOR AND COURAGE.

DEDICATED BY THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL AIR MARSHAL SERVICE
SEPTEMBER 11, 2005

Flight 93 Memorial Stone Dedicated by the Air Marshal Service

Air Marshal Service Flight 93 Memorial Stone

In MEMORY OF Flight 93

GOD BLESS AMERICA

Staff and Students of
Friedens Elementary School

The back of the flag is signed
by the students and staff

Friedens Elementary School memorial flag

Memorial by Students and Staff of Friedens Elementary School

Hand painted rocks

Hats from everywhere

SOMERSET COUNTY
PENNSYLVANIA

FLT93 949

WHERE AMERICA
FOUGHT BACK

ANGELS OF FREEDOM

Few can begin to understand what drives men to such acts of desperation, But the World must now know the resolve of this great nation is both unshakeable and unstoppable.

This day ordinary Americans took extraordinary steps to help their fellow Americans and by doing so gave the greatest sacrifice.

And so these Angels of Freedom stand not as a memorial to those who died, but rather as a celebration of their lives for which we will forever be in their debt.

God Bless the Families and Friends of The Heroes of September 11, 2001.

Eric and Tammy Pearson

Angels of Freedom at the Shanksville Memorial

SEPTEMBER 17, 2006

In a field...
in Shanksville, PA
away from everything for
miles around, people come
from everywhere
on Earth, over 5,000 people
every week to place a flag...
to write a note...
on anything available
including stones on the ground
40 people heroically
stopped an attack on America
and saved many lives
LET'S ROLL

MEMORIAL STONES

MEMORIAL BENCHES

MEMORIAL HATS

SYMBOL OF FAITH
By Tom Lavis
October 22, 2001

Teams of emergency personnel who responded to the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 near Shanksville made a discovery that shocked and inspired them. Resting not far from the smoldering, 25-foot-deep crater where 40 innocent victims perished, firefighters found a Bible that was barely singed. Only minutes before, the area had been a raging inferno as jet fuel ignited into a fireball when the plane plowed into the earth.

See update above:
Whose Bible was it then?

Tom Lavis story of the Bible that survived the crash of Flight 93

Kuge's Bible?

It was later thought that the Bible in the news article belonged to a 20 year old Japanese man.

The leather cover on the Bible was singed, but none of the pages were burned.

Japanese flag memorializing Toshiya Kuge

Remembering
TOSHIYA KUGE

Sanders Family
memorial stone

Lampeter-Strasburg High School Basketball Team plaque

SHANKSVILLE
AND THE
HEROES OF FLIGHT 93

Lampeter-Strasburg High School plaque to the Heroes of Flight 93

FLIGHT 93 AMBASSADORS
One of the memorial volunteers uses pictures to help visitors learn more about the events in Shanksville on and after 9-11

SHANKSVILLE

We remember
FDNY-343 9-11-01

"Remembering
JEAN & DON PETERSON
who lived to love God and others until the very end. Let us do the same. Craig, Andrea, Katrin & Anika Peterson"

The Bible that survived the crash belonged to Don Peterson

"Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather the openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are Happy....."

ART STUDENTS FROM CHARLES COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN MARYLAND

We will never
forget our heroes

BEAR DEN 7
PACK 203

US Flag made from tiles

BOY SCOUT TROOP
131
Somerset, Pennsylvania

To the 40 "scouts" on United Flight 93 ... We Will Never Forget!

The final moments of Flight 93

1

United Flight 93 approached from this direction

Flight path of Flight 93 before crash

2

The 757 passed over this salvage yard at the top of the hill

3

It was last seen flying very low and at an extremely high rate of speed

Flight 93 crash site

4

The plane flipped over and crashed nose down in the foreground of this evergreen forest

THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN OF UNITED 93

FLIGHT OFFICERS
Captain Jason M. Dahl
First Officer LeRoy Homer

FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
Lorraine G. Bay
Sandy Waugh Bradshaw
Wanda Anita Green
CeeCee Ross Lyles
Deborah Jacobs Welsh

PASSENGERS
Christian Adams
Todd M. Beamer
Alan Anthony Beaven
Mark Bingham (video New!)
Deora Frances Bodley
Marion R. Britton
Thomas E. Burnett, Jr.
William Joseph Cashman
Georgine Rose Corrigan
Patricia Cushing
Joseph DeLuca
Patrick Joseph Driscoll
Edward Porter Felt
Jane C. Folger
Colleen L. Fraser
Andrew 'Sonny' Garcia
Jeremy Logan Glick
Kristin Osterholm White Gould
Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas & Unborn child
Donald Freeman Greene
Linda Gronlund
Richard J. Guadagno
Toshiya Kuge
Hilda Marcin
Waleska Martinez
Nicole Carol Miller
Louis J. Nacke II
Donald Arthur Peterson
Jean Hoadley Peterson
Mark David Rothenberg
Christine Ann Snyder
John Talignani
Honor Elizabeth Wainio

THIS MEMORIAL IS IN MEMORY
OF THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
TO SAVE SO MANY OTHERS.
THEIR COURAGE AND LOVE
OF OUR COUNTRY WILL BE
A SOURCE OF STRENGTH AND COMFORT
TO OUR GREAT NATION.
GOD BLESS AMERICA.

UNITED FLIGHT 93
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

Leaving the Memorial

United 93 Temporary Memorial in Shanksville, PA

The crash site was formerly
an open pit mine

The two old abandoned draglines shown below, excavated this strip mine for coal. Now the two behemoths stand silent watch over the reclaimed terrain

Hit Counter

Just down the road from the crash site

Thunder on The Mountain
Flight 93 Memorial Chapel
Shanksville, Pennsylvania

View of the Chapel from the parking lot

Inside the Chapel

Individual plaques honoring the passengers and crew

Passenger Mark Bingham's plaque

THUNDER ON THE MOUNTAIN FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL CHAPEL

FOUNDER REVEREND ALPHONSE MASCHERINO

DEDICATED SEPTEMBER 11, 2002

DONATED BY FRANK & PATRICIA GUERRA

IN MEMORY OF DEORA BODLEY

Beside the Chapel

A monument dedicated on September 11, 2006 in
honor of the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93

THIS MONUMENT IS DEDICATED TO THE HEROES OF UAL FLIGHT 93 BY
UAL NEWARK FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
THE CAUSE FOUNDATION
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
SEPTEMBER 11, 2006

THE MONUMENT AREA IS PAVED AND SURROUNDED BY FOUR ENGRAVED BLACK BENCHES

THE MONUMENT HAS SEVEN PANELS HONORING THE TWO PILOTS AND FIVE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS. THE EIGHTH PANEL IS ENGRAVED WITH:

IN HONOR OF
THE CREW
UNITED AIRLINES
FLIGHT 93
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS

FOUR ENGRAVED BENCHES LIST THE THIRTY-THREE PASSENGERS

WHEN READ IN SEQUENCE THE BENCHES READ
"A GRATEFUL NATION
WILL FOREVER HONOR
THE COURAGE AND PATRIOTISM
OF THE FLIGHT 93 PASSENGERS"

THE MONUMENT IS TOPPED
WITH A 757 JET

Historical items

The following items are on display at the
Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA

United Airlines Flight 93 wreckage; piece of fuselage and seatbelt

Collected by curators from the National Museum of American History

Piece of Flight 93 fuselage

Portable mass kit and holy water vial used by Father Joseph McCaffrey. 'Father Mac' provided spiritual support to security personnel as well as a few family members of victims, at the crash site in Shanksville

Father McCaffrey's jacket

Father Joseph McCaffrey items

Rosary beads and
ID badge

Venetian mask
c.2003

Sergio Boldrin, Italian mascarero (maskmaker) created this mask from paper mache to commemorate September 11 for Pittsburgh flag collector, Dr. Pete Keim

Venetian mask commemorating 9-11

RECENT FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL HEADLINES

March 27, 2013
Flight 93 National Memorial will spend extra month on winter schedule
Longer summer hours of 9am to 7pm will not begin until May 1st

November 3, 2012
Visitors flocking to Flight 93 Memorial

September 12, 2012
Thousands gather for ceremonies in N.Y., D.C., Pa.

September 11, 2012
No politics today at Ground Zero

September 10, 2012
Investigators tell of emotions associated with United 93 crash

May 1, 2012
Event set to raise funds for Flight 93 Memorial

April 20, 2012
150,000 trees to dot Flight 93 site

NEW TEMPORARY FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL

At the end of July 2008, the temporary Flight 93 Memorial moved across the road, placing it less than 100 yards from the original temporary memorial. Below are some photos of the new memorial from August 13, 2008

Flight 93 Memorial Wall

Both Flight 93 Memorial areas with the new one on the left

The first temporary Flight 93 Memorial was on the right side of this road, and the new one is on the left

The original temporary Flight 93 Memorial area still flies the flags of the USA and the State of Pennsylvania

The new temporary Flight 93 Memorial is very similar to the original except for a split rail fence surrounding the memorial area

Temporary Flight 93 Memorial
on August 13, 2008

Flight 93 Memorial photo from August 13, 2008

Flight 93 Memorial Wall is full of hats and other mementos

Front of the memorial wall is filled with mementos of every size and description

Back of the memorial wall has new shelf areas where mementos have been left

Medallions, coins and other mementos left by Flight 93 visitors

Smaller medallions and mementos have been left on top of this memorial stone

September 10, 2011 Memorial Dedication photos

Flight 93 Memorial Dedication - September 10, 2011

September 10, 2011 - This time, I used four wheels instead of two for my drive to Shanksville. Saturday's dedication ceremony was the first of two days of dedication activities, marking the 10-year anniversary of the Flight 93 crash.

Hazy early morning sky as we entered the memorial It was a hazy early morning where the windshield wanted to fog-up, as mist still hung on the peaks around the Laurel Summit. Within a mile of the new entrance off Route 30, traffic came to a standstill at 8:00am. Nothing moved for about 30 minutes, then traffic gradually moved forward into the entry driveway, where it sat parked for another 45 minutes. The extremely muddy conditions in the parking lots appeared to be causing the gridlock. Tri-axle dump trucks were lining-up to deliver gravel for parking entrances into the muddy fields.

Vehicles parked in muddy fields Cars, motorcycles and buses were parked in various areas along the hillside above the new memorial. Buses were used to shuttle visitors from the parking lots to the bottom of the hill. Nothing was moving very fast this morning, but that was to be expected, along with the tight security measures that had been promised.

Looking down from the parking lots toward the new Flight 93 National Memorial Once through security, visitors could see the large boulder placed to the left of the walkway, marking the impact spot of Flight 93. The walkway extended off into the distance, slanting right as we approached the Wall of Names and area where the ceremony would be held. The crowd continued to build as the ceremony got underway later than anticipated. Two other events were also planned for later in the day. The haze and overcast yielded as the event proceeded, with periods of sunshine and cumulus clouds.

Boulder marking the spot where Flight 93 impacted the ground Every trip to Shanksville has brought new knowledge, and this trip was to be no exception. During the reading of the 40 names, we learned that passenger Lauren Grandcolas was carrying an unborn child. Memorial volunteers will continue to compile additional personal information about the passengers and crew. Photos below will help give you a feel for what the area looks like around the new memorial.

Flight 93 National Memorial entry sign

Looking left as you enter...

...and looking right.

Mud in parking areas

Run-off into a culvert from
recent heavy rains

Some cars needed towed
out of the fields

Satellite city

Hazy conditions persisted
through mid-morning

Walking into the memorial

Flowers left in honor

Flight 93 rock that marks the spot of impact

A large boulder has been placed to mark the
spot where Flight 93 impacted the ground

Flowers, flags and stones have been
left on or near the boulder

Dedication Ceremony videos
September 10, 2011

Entering the Flight 93 Memorial
National Anthem - US Flag raised
Reading of the 40 names
Song: I Will Remember You

Looking toward the
white wall of names

A men's choral group
entertained early arrivals

President George W Bush, President Bill Clinton, VP Joe Biden

Former US Presidents Bush
and Clinton join VP Biden

Amazing Grace on
the bagpipes

The US Navy Band
performed

Sarah McLachlan performs
'I Will Remember You'

Sarah McLachlan at the Flight 93 Memorial Dedication

Bells used during the
reading of the names

Walkway leaving the memorial

Shanksville
Vol.
Fire Dept.

Station 627

Shanksville VFD

Displays near the new
entrance of the
Flight 93 National Memorial

I'll Always Remember

More about the song playing here...
Jo Ann Biviano is a singer/songwriter/pianist from New Jersey. Born and raised there, she has been performing since the age of five, when she began her classical piano training. She has released several original CDs and hopes to have this song "I'll Always Remember" heard all over the world.

Jo Ann Biviano