Flight 93 Memorial

Our Pennsylvania trip was a lot of fun.  We enjoyed the reunion and the chance to visit family, but we added a stop on the way home that makes me appreciate all the more, the things that matter in life.

I have really wanted to visit the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, PA.  I have been to the Pentagon Memorial which is beautifully done, and eventually I would like to go to New York.  But I want to wait until the museum is finished there.

But there is just something about Shanksville. 

On our way home from our family visit in PA, we travelled a beautiful route through mountains and valleys and small towns, that eventually brought us to the Flight 93 Memorial. It is REALLY out in the middle of nowhere.... nothing but open land.
Sometimes when the anniversary of 9/11 comes around, or I read something about that horrific day, I feel like the heroes of Flight 93 don't get nearly the recognition they deserve.  Yes, I know nearly 3000 people died that day.   New York was by far the place of greatest loss of life and buildings, and the Pentagon is a symbol of what the U.S. stands for, but the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93 were the only people that day, that knew what was happening in the moment, and knew the risks, and still made a choice to take control of their destiny to potentially protect others.   Ultimately, it is thought that they prevented the hijackers from flying that plane into the Capitol Building.  I can't imagine the devastation that would have been brought to our country and our government if their mission had been a success.  

The memorial is a work in progress, but there is a beautiful white marble wall, along the direction of the flight path, that shows the engraved names of each hero. 

And through the wooden gate is a view of the stone that marks the final resting place of those heroes.

I'm not sure how to describe the feeling I had being there....   pride, sadness, awe, emptiness....  I don't know.... but I felt their presence.   The presence of people I will never know, but yet we all know these people, in our own husbands, wives, children, friends....
I hope we will never forget these heroes, the sacrifices they made that day, and the loss felt by their families.

But in part, because of their heroism, I have a greater appreciation for what I have...