A bell tolls for the united aboard Flight 93

A BELL tolled 40 times yesterday, once for each victim of United Flight 93, as thousands of people gathered in a grassy field remembered the passengers and crew hailed as heroes for struggling to take back their hijacked plane.

“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.