Photo By Sgt. Du-Marc Mills | Flight 93 National Memorial in Stoystown, Pennsylvania, is a memorial site that honors...... read more read more
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Stoystown, Pa. – 24 years after hijacked jets tore through the September 11 skyline, the gentle ridges of Somerset County still guard one of that day’s least-discussed battlefields.
As a middle-schooler in 2001, I learned about the attacks from a flickering classroom television. I remember the shock that rippled through our halls with every replay of New York and Virginia. Only later did many of us discover that 40 ordinary people fought back over Pennsylvania and altered history.
A field turned front line
United Airlines Flight 93 left Newark at 8:42 a.m. bound for San Francisco. 40 minutes later, four Al-Qaeda terrorists stormed the cockpit. Passengers used in-flight calls to learn what had already happened at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Choosing resistance over surrender, they rushed the aisle, forcing the Boeing 757 to bank steeply and plow, inverted, into a reclaimed strip-mine at 10:03 a.m., just outside Shanksville. Their sacrifice likely saved the U.S. Capitol or White House from destruction.
First impressions
Driving up U.S. Route 30, the Tower of Voices breaks the tree line: a 93-foot concrete instrument housing 40 wind chimes—one for every passenger and crew member. The tower’s open, tapering frame catches mountain gusts, giving each chime a distinct pitch and filling the entrance plaza with an ever-changing chorus.
Inside the visitor center, a black-granite Flight-Path Walkway traces the jet’s final seconds. Portal walls frame the sky where the aircraft crossed overhead, while multimedia exhibits play phone recordings and FAA transcripts in minute-by-minute sequence.
A living landscape of honor
From the overlook, the memorial opens into a sweeping Field of Honor. Forty groves of hardwoods radiate across the reclaimed meadow, their lines converging on the crash site marked by a 17-ton sandstone boulder. A gentle allée leads to the Memorial Plaza, where a white-marble Wall of Names follows the flight path. Each polished panel bears a single name; slender gaps between panels honor the passengers’ individuality, yet from afar the wall appears seamless, symbolizing their unified action.
Shared moments of remembrance
During my visit I met a convoy of classic-car enthusiasts who lined their gleaming Chevys along Ring Road, hoods reflecting the tower’s silhouette. A few yards away, a plain-clothed Amish family knelt in silent prayer. Their very presence, chrome bumpers beside horse-and-buggy hymns, underscored how Flight 93’s story transcends communities, faiths and generations.
Why Pennsylvania matters
When most Americans picture 9/11, they see Manhattan’s Twin Towers or the Pentagon’s scorched west wall. The events here rarely headline commemorations, yet this hillside became the first battleground of the Global War on Terror, a place where civilians took the offensive. Remembering that fact keeps the national narrative whole.
Planning your own trip
The National Park Service has designed the memorial to invite reflection at every step, whether you’re listening to the Tower of Voices, tracing the final flight path, or leaving a personal memento along the plaza’s sloped railing. Parking is ample, pathways are ADA-accessible and restrooms are available at both the visitor center and plaza. Rangers offer interpretive talks hourly during summer months.
A call to visit
Standing amid the wind-swept hemlocks, I realized the passengers of Flight 93 left us more than a heroic footnote. They left a blueprint for collective courage. If you have never set foot in Shanksville, make the drive. Hear the tower sing. Read every marble name. Walk the last 1,800 feet of the jet’s path. In doing so, you’ll honor not only the 40 who fought back, but also the better angels in all of us who might be called to act when history demands it.
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.23.2025 14:36 |
| Story ID: | 543261 |
| Location: | STOYSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 50 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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