SHANKSVILLE – A special pictorial cancellation is being offered through October to commemorate those who died aboard Flight 93 when it crashed in Shanksville, Somerset County, on Sept. 11, 2001.
This year’s mark, the fifth time the U.S. Postal service has offered the stamp, features the Flight 93 Thunder Bell.
The bell, which is housed at the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel, was rededicated during a ceremony held Tuesday morning to coincide with the time the airplane crashed into the rural field six years ago.
“It’s actually the Voice of Flight 93,” said Kathy Bates, Shanksville postmaster, noting the bell’s name.
The ceremony at the church also added a new moniker to the name, “Let Freedom Ring.”
Pictorial cancellations are offered by the postal service as a way to commemorate local events on a national level.
“We know there’s a lot of family members that are in town … keeping the memories alive,” said Tad Kelley, spokesperson from the Erie office of the U.S. Postal service. “We’re just happy to be able to offer this cancellation each year to help them do that.”
For some, the cancellations mean even more.
“We even had a lady who was the mother of one of the passengers.”
The cancellation will be offered for 30 days following Sept. 11. Those who would like to have one should place the correct postage on any envelope or postcard, address the envelope or postcard to themselves or others and place it in an envelope to mail along with a piece of heavier paper or cardboard to prevent bending. The package should be mailed to: Pictorial Cancellations, FLT 93 Thunder Bell Station, 422 Stutzmantown Road, Shanksville, PA 15560-9998.
After applying the cancellation, the postal service will return the envelope or postcard through the mail. Those who would like to have their item returned under a protective cover should include a larger, self-addressed, stamped envelope.