This year marks the 22nd anniversary of the fateful day of 9/11. The infamous terrorist group al-Qaeda made several attacks on our country. One of the attacks hit close to home, which was the plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Flight 93 was hijacked by terrorists and it was heading toward Washington, D.C. The brave souls aboard prevented this attack on our nation’s capital and saved countless lives in their act of selflessness. On September 11, 2001 at 8:42 AM Flight 93 and the 40 passengers and crew took off from Newark International Airport, New Jersey to San Francisco, California. Around 9:28 AM the terrorists took control over the plane and rerouted it toward Washington, D.C. At 9:57 AM the passengers and crew tried to take back the airplane which resulted in a struggle with the terrorists. Six minutes of struggle resulted in the plane nose diving into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:06 AM.
Witnessing the Tower of Voices on this early calm autumn morning was emotional. The sky was clear and the sun was beginning to rise over the ridge causing the sun to shine through the tower in a symbolic way. The wall of names was a surreal sight due to the fact that all the names were real people with their own lives that put them on the line to save thousands more.
During the ceremony two speakers, Steven Clark, Superintendent of Western PA National Parks and Rabbi Jeffery Myers of Tree Of Life of Pittsburgh both spoke. Clark greeted the guest attending the ceremony and spoke about what happened on the fateful day of 9/11. “The flight 93 story shared here, is now interwoven into an important lesson about our nation’s history. It is a memorial dedicated to honoring the memory of 40 individuals, who on September 11th 2001, acted with such bravery and without regard for themselves, ultimately thwarting an attack on our nation’s capital,” Clark reflected.
After that, Rabbi Myers sang a prayer in Hebrew, then in English. “Exalted, compassionate God, grant infinite rest in your sheltering presence, among the holy and the pure of all our beloved, remember this day, who have gone to their internal home. Merciful one, we asked that our loved ones might find perfect peace in your tender embrace, their memory enduring inspiration for committed to their ideals and integrity in our lives, may their souls be up in the bond of light. May they always rest in peace. Amen.”
Although we’re not able to fully grasp the significance of the attacks that took place on 9/11, we saw how it affected the people around us. One person in particular was a Japanese woman. During the bell ceremony she announced her son’s name, Toshya Kuge. He was a 20 year old college student on his way back from a vacation in America. Being a 17 year old high school student, I saw a part of myself in him. Being so young with a full life ahead just for it to be taken by the evil of the world was an unsettling feeling.
Visiting the Flight 93 memorial on the same day 22 years later was a powerful experience that will not be forgotten. Neither will the brave passengers, police officers, firefighters, ems responders, and citizens that put their lives on the line to save more.
And yet, despite an attempt to demolish democracy, 22 years later, our nation still stands strongly in the face of adversity.
