Victims remembered, honored at Pa. 9/11 crash site
SHANKSVILLE, Pa. - As fate would have it, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson's birthday is Sept. 11. He has spent part of his birthday in many of the last 14 years at either the New York or Washington-area 9/11 sites.
SHANKSVILLE, Pa. - As fate would have it, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson's birthday is Sept. 11.
He has spent part of his birthday in many of the last 14 years at either the New York or Washington-area 9/11 sites.
Until Friday, he had never been to Shanksville to see the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93. This year, he gave a short speech to more than 1,000 people, including 100 family members of the 40 passengers and crew who died here on Sept. 11, 2001, as they fought terrorists who had taken over their plane.
In the midst of the crisis, Johnson noted, the passengers and crew "did the most American of things: They took a vote."
The vote was on whether they should attack the cockpit, where the terrorists were in control. They did, and their action "most likely saved hundreds or thousands of lives by giving their own."
"I've said it many times," Johnson said. "Terrorists cannot prevail among a nation of people who refuse to be terrorized."
His speech was one of five at the ceremony Friday. Other speakers were National Park Service director Jonathan Jarvis; Gov. Wolf; Gordon Felt, president of the Families of Flight 93; and the keynote speaker, NBC Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski.
"Their actions on this day ennobled all of us," Wolf said. "They reacted nobly, bravely, and voluntarily to a new world few of us were ready for."
The victims of the Sept. 11 attacks were also remembered in ceremonies in New York, Washington, and throughout the Philadelphia region.
Johnson came with two U.S. senators, Tom Carper (D., Del.) and Ron Johnson (R., Wis.). Together, they toured the new visitor center, and all said they came away moved.
"I learned many things," said Jeh Johnson. "Most importantly, I got to get a sense of the people who died here."
Sen. Johnson said he was most moved by the three voice mails that are part of the exhibit. They were made from the plane before it crashed, by two passengers and a flight attendant.
"You've obviously heard the story. But you come here and, well, those voice mails, just the humanity in that," he said.
Those in attendance Thursday, when the visitor center was opened to the public after a dedication ceremony, and Friday got to be among the first to buy Flight 93 memorabilia that is on sale at the site, including key chains, mugs, T-shirts, and carefully vetted books about Flight 93 or the events of 9/11.
Though some might call it crass consumerism in a solemn place, by the high number of people carrying "Flight 93 National Memorial" plastic bags, many appeared to want the merchandise.
"People want to have reminders. They want to have something to take home, because you can't remember everything you see here," said Greg Zern, who came to the site with his wife, Laimite, from their home near Philadelphia.
They bought a National Geographic DVD about 9/11 and a memory book of Flight 93.
Laimite Zern said they had been to the site four times over the years, "and I've been moved every time I've been here, including today."
