SHANKSVILLE — The Flight 93 National Memorial will honor the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93 on the 11th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 with four days of special programs that culminate in the annual observance Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012.
Among the offerings is the “Learning Center Without Walls,” a series of panel discussions that will explore the events of Sept. 11, 2001 from several different perspectives, including children who experienced the event; media coverage of the Flight 93 crash; the FBI Flight 93 investigation and recovery teams; and those who were in the U.S. Capitol, the terrorists’ intended target, on 9/11. The “Learning Center Without Walls” has been scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The observance begins at 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, at the Memorial Plaza.
At 10:03 a.m. – the moment Flight 93 crashed – the names of the passengers and crew members will be read and Bells of Remembrance will be rung by members of the families of Flight 93 and community members who assisted in the aftermath of 9/11.
The ceremony will also include a wreath laying at the Wall of Names. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. No backpacks or large bags are permitted. There will be no seating available for the approximately 30-minute ceremony, although guests are permitted to bring their own chairs.
Schedule of Special Activities
Saturday, Sept. 8
Park hours
9 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. (last entry at 9 p.m.)
Interpretive Programs
11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Memorial Plaza
Every hour on the hour, park rangers and volunteers provide a general introduction to the events, actions and people related to the story of Flight 93 and Flight 93 National Memorial.
Tribute Events
11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Memorial Plaza
The public is invited to attend the variety of wreath laying ceremonies, musical performances and other events in honor of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 that will be held by individuals and private organizations. Tributes are once an hour, beginning on the half hour.
1 p.m., “9/11 and the Next Generation”
In this “Learning Center Without Walls” program, panelists will explore how children experienced Sept. 11 and how art has allowed them to express their feelings. Panelists include:
–Joy Knepp, a Fine Arts instructor at Shanksville-Stonycreek School, located just three miles from the Flight 93 crash site.
–Lori Guadagno, a sister of Flight 93 passenger, Richard Guadagno and co-founder and program director of “Art with a Heart,” a program for hospitalized children and their families.
– Dr. Mary Margaret Kerr, a professor of Psychology in Education and Child Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and a specialist in the areas of school-related crises and school safety.
3 p.m. “Dispatches from Shanksville: Journalists Remember Flight 93”
Television, newspaper and radio journalists will discuss their experiences in writing and broadcasting the first drafts of history in the days, weeks, and months following Sept. 11, 2001. A “Learning Center Without Walls” program whose panelists include:
–Jon Meyer, a former reporter at WJAC-TV, NBC affiliate from Johnstown, who covered the Flight 93 crash on Sept. 11, 2001, and currently anchor and reporter at WNEP-TV in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
– Dennis Roddy, a former Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staff writer and member of the team that produced “From Chaos to Courage,” a special section published on Oct. 28, 2001
– Tim Lambert, a reporter at WITF Radio, Harrisburg Sept. 11, 2001, and former owner of land adjacent to the Flight 93 crash site
Sunday, Sept. 9
Park hours
9 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. (last entry at 9 p.m.)
Interpretive Programs
11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Memorial Plaza
Every hour on the hour, park rangers and volunteers provide a general introduction to the events, actions, and people related to the story of Flight 93 and Flight 93 National Memorial.
Tribute Events
11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Memorial Plaza
The public is invited to attend the variety of wreath laying ceremonies, musical performances and other events in honor of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 that will be held by individuals and private organizations. Tributes are once an hour, beginning on the half hour.
1 p.m. “The Criminal Investigation: Searching for Evidence at the Flight 93 Crash Site”:
In this “Learning Center Without Walls” program, members of the FBI investigation and recovery teams will describe their work at the crash site and the importance of what was recovered. Panelist include:
–Jack Shea, a former Special Agent in Charge, Pittsburgh Division, FBI.
–Todd McCall, a former Supervisory Special Agent, FBI Laboratory, Evidence Response Team Unit, Quantico, VA, currently Section Chief, Digital Evidence Section, Operational Technology Division, FBI.
–John Larsen, a former Special Agent and Senior Team Leader, Evidence Response Team, Chicago Division, FBI.
3 p.m. “A Grateful Nation: Stories from the U.S. Capitol”:
Flight 93 was less than 20 minutes from Washington, D.C. and the terrorists’ intended target, the U.S. Capitol, when the actions of the passengers and crew forced it to crash. Panelists will describe their experiences from that day in the Capitol building. A “Learning Center Without Walls” program, whose panelists include:
–Nicole Eickhoff, who on Sept. 11, 2001 was a 17-year-old page in the U.S. House of Representatives, currently Business Development Specialist for the Washington, D.C. Women’s Business Center.
– Nellie Neumann, who was a Capitol Tour Guide from 2000 to 2008 and was in the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11, 2001.
Monday, Sept. 10
Park hours:
9 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. (last entry at 9 p.m.)
7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., Luminaria Program, Memorial Plaza
An array of 40 candle lanterns will be placed at the Wall of Names, serving as a silent and moving tribute to the tragic loss of life of the passengers and crew on Flight 93 in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Tuesday, Sept. 11
Park hours
8 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. (last entry at 9 p.m.)
9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m., Sept. 11 Observance
The commemoration begins at 9:45 a.m. at the memorial plaza and includes a reading of the names of the 40 passengers and crew members, tolling of the Bells of Remembrance and a wreath laying at the Wall of Names.
Interpretive Programs
12 p.m. – 4 p.m., Memorial Plaza
Every hour on the hour, park rangers and volunteers provide a general introduction to the events, actions, and people related to the story of Flight 93 and Flight 93 National Memorial.
Tribute Events
12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., Memorial Plaza
A variety of wreath laying ceremonies, musical performances and other events in honor of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 will be held by individuals and private organizations for the benefit of the visiting public. Tributes are once an hour, beginning on the half hour.
If You Go:
Flight 93 National Memorial is a tribute to the passengers and crew of United Flight 93 and is a place to explore and discover their inspiring story of courage and hope. A 3.5 mile scenic drive leads visitors from the entrance at U.S. Route 30 to the Memorial Plaza at the crash site where visitors may view panels in an outdoor exhibit area and learn more through cell phone tours; talk with park rangers and volunteer ambassadors; participate in interpretive programs; view the field where Flight 93 crashed, which is the final resting place of the passengers and crew; and walk along the Wall of Names.
Five million in private funds remain to be raised in order to complete the memorial’s design features. Future plans include a Visitor Center Complex that will more fully tell the story of Flight 93.
Forty Memorial Groves of trees will be planted and a tower with 40 wind chimes will be located at the entrance to the memorial. For more information on the fundraising campaign, go to www.honorflight93.org.
Flight 93 National Memorial is open from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. (last entry at 6:30 p.m.) from April 1 to the second Sunday in October; 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. (last entry at 4:30 p.m.) from the second Monday in October to March 31. See the special hours listed above for the Sept. 11 Observance.
There is never an admission fee. Flight 93 National Memorial is located 20 miles northeast of Somerset and 24 miles west of Bedford; the entrance is located at 6424 Lincoln Hwy. (U.S. Route 30) in Stoystown, PA 15564. For further information, visit www.nps.gov/flni or call (814)893-6322.
About the Flight 93 National Memorial:
On Sept. 24, 2002, Congress passed the Flight 93 National Memorial Act. The act created a new national park unit to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who, on Sept. 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby thwarting a planned attack on our nation’s capital. The memorial is outside Shanksville, where Flight 93 crashed with the loss of its 40 passengers and crew. For more information about the Flight 93 National Memorial, please visit www.nps.gov/flni.