A bell tolls for the united aboard Flight 93
“These 40 amazing, extraordinary people had character in abundance,” said Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, who was governor of Pennsylvania at the time of the terrorist attacks. “They were heroes every single day.”
One crew member saved airline meals to feed the needy, he said. Another victim helped restore a shelter for battered women, and yet another volunteered at a crisis pregnancy centre.
“Today is not just to mark their tragic and honourable deaths, but to celebrate their lives and mark a nation’s gratitude for their actions,” Ridge said. He hailed them as “citizen-soldiers” and “America’s 21st century patriots”.
Ridge’s remarks were followed by a rifle salute and the release of 40 doves.
President Bush arrived at the field around noon and strode through knee-high grass with first lady Laura Bush, to the spot where the airplane crashed. He bowed his head with the families gathered there while a marine laid a wreath as trumpeters played taps. Afterward, he shook hands and spoke privately with the relatives.
During the ceremony, 11-year-old Murial Borza, who lost her half-sister, Deora, asked the audience of over 5,000 for a minute of silence for world peace.
Sandy Dahl, the wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl, said: “If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”
The tolling, accompanied by the reading of each victim’s name, led up to the moment that the plane crashed at 10:06am in a field about 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
Investigators say people on board confronted the four hijackers and brought down the plane far from an intended target in Washington, possibly the White House or Capitol.
