SHANKSVILLE – Through the rain, hundreds made the sixth annual pilgrimage to the impact site of United Airlines Flight 93 Tuesday.
The temporary memorial still stands, a tribute to the 40 people who were aboard the plane when it crashed into a field near Shanksville.
This year marked a change in events, with the formal commemorative ceremony the day prior to the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001. Still, the morning saw a near-endless parade of those who visited the temporary memorial, which is under the direction of the National Park Service.
This year’s theme, The Spirit of Community, paid tribute to those who live in the Shanksville area. The Families of Flight 93 and Flight 93 project partners took the opportunity to thank the locals in their efforts to honor the Flight 93 40.
In recognition of this year’s theme, members of those who lost their lives aboard Flight 93 read the names of their loved ones along with local community members. Then, bells rang out and wreaths were laid at the temporary memorial.
Those who visited Tuesday placed trinkets at the site, from American flags to pins and personal cards. Others touched the memorials placed there by various groups in the six years since Flight 93 crashed.
Plans continue to build a permanent memorial near the crash site. The Flight 93 National Memorial should be in place by the 10th anniversary of 9-11, on Sept. 11, 2011.
“It is important that this memorial become a reality and tell and retell the story so that all current Americans and future generations of Americans … never forget,” Gov. Edward G. Rendell said at the ceremony.