Flight 93 memorial
A memorial for United Flight 93 is being dedicated on Saturday at the rural Pennsylvania field where the hijacked plane crashed on Sept. 11, 2001. There were forty passengers and crewmembers on United Flight 93 that died on Sept. 11, 2001. They fought back terrorists on the plane who were planning to crash the plane into a Washington, D.C., landmark (possibly the U.S. Capitol or the White House). The ceremony will be attended by hundreds of victims’ relatives of the 40 passengers and crew members who died. The ceremony will also mark the beginning of construction on the 62 million dollars memorial building. The world is giving honor to the passengers who died on United Flight 93. Their family members visited the site on Friday. They read the guestbook and viewed the many mementos left by people from all over the world who have come to pay their respects. As this happened, many relatives shed some tears. They celebrated the spirit of the guestbook — a rare feeling that people from vastly different walks of life had come together. Lorne Lyles, whose wife, CeeCee Ross Lyles, was a flight attendant said: “Just to see the outpouring from all over the world is touching. You really do have some caring people in the world.” On Friday, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said that while $52 million has been raised for the memorial, 10 million dollars more is needed to build a visitors center and to finish landscaping. Vice President Joe Biden and former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton are among the dignitaries expected to attend, the Associated Press reports. Grammy Award-winning musician Sarah McLachlan is scheduled to perform. “If not for the heroes onboard United 93, who challenged the hijackers and forced them to abandon their plan, it is quite possible that the Capitol, and the people working inside it, might not be here today” – House Speaker John Boehner said in a news release last week, announcing that he planned to attend the ceremony.
Flight 93.
Cars began to line up hours before the dedication of the Flight 93 memorial Saturday as the sun started to peek out among the clouds and signs and flags lining the route to the memorial honored the heroes of September 11. The line of cars stretched a mile along Route 30 where vendors sold American flags to visitors stuck in crawling traffic. “God bless the heroes of Flight 93″ read the sign at Castagna’s Restaurant. Long lines of people almost in parade formation stood waving flags.
Harry Kramer had braved the washed-out roads, steady drizzle and mile-long backups on muddy roads Friday. He wanted to pay his respect to the victims of Flight 93.
He will be at the site again Saturday to see the unveiling of the first phase of the permanent Flight 93 National Memorial that has been 10 years in the making. And he’ll be here Sunday, when the 10th Commemorative Memorial Service is held.
“I’m glad to see it” – said Kramer, who lives near Philadelphia. “It’s a great tribute to the people who were on the flight.”
Forty passengers and crewmembers on United Flight 93 died on Sept. 11, 2001, when they fought back terrorists who were planning to slam the plane into a Washington, D.C., landmark – possibly the U.S. Capitol or the White House.
Kramer’s second cousin Lorraine Bay, 58, was a flight attendant on that flight.
The cockpit voice recorder captured the last 30 minutes before the plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Three terrorists overtook the cockpit at about 9:28 a.m. on September 11 after about 46 minutes of routine flight from Newark to San Francisco.
Using airphones, passengers and crew who were forced to the back of the plane began making calls to report the hijacking. They learned about the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center and realized they were part of a much larger terrorist plot. They voted to fight back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32cZhnq131c
To the casual passerby, the Flight 93 Memorial may seem like a simple tribute. But for the City of Union City, the meticulously crafted local landmark is a reflection of the city’s spirit and pride.
“It shows what Union City is made of” – said Tony Acosta, deputy city manager and project coordinator on the Flight 93 Memorial. “We’re proud to be American and we like to get things done.”
At 1 p.m. Sunday, the city will hold a special public ceremony in observance of the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the heroes of Flight 93 at the memorial.
The hour-long event will feature a special honor guard comprised of local Eagle Scouts, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #9601 Honor Guard of Castro Valley, the American Legion Guard of District 10 and the National U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Honor Guard. Jazleen Serrano, two-time winner of Union City Teen Idol, will sing the national anthem. City officials will give presentations, along with Alameda County District 2 Supervisor Nadia Lockyer, representatives from the offices of Senator Ellen Corbett, Assemblymember Bob Wieckowski’s and the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
“We’re very honored to have them join us” – Acosta said.
The ceremony will conclude with a flag procession, 21-gun salute and reading of the names of the victims of Flight 93.
Dyer Street between Ratekin Drive and Smith Street/Alvarado-Niles Road will be blocked off during the ceremony, according to city staff.