THE PICTURES OF ALL 40 PASSENGERS AND CREW MEMBERS ARE DISPLAYED AT THE FLIGHT 93 VISITOR CENTER, WHICH OPENED IN 2015 NEAR THE CRASH SITE OF UNITED FLIGHT 93 IN SOMERSET COUNTY. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

“There was just profound sadness. You know it’s one of those moments where everything’s going to change, but you don’t know what the change is.” — The Rev. James Simons

This quote by the rector of St. Michael of the Valley Episcopal Church in Ligonier, who was one of the first clergy to visit the crash site of United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, is emblazoned on a wall of the Flight 93 Visitor Center. His words couldn’t have been more foretelling.

Twenty-three years ago this week terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes on a sunny morning described by pilots as “severe clear” for unlimited visibility conditions. Two commandeered planes destroyed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and another damaged the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

A DISPLAY AT THE FLIGHT 93 VISITOR CENTER. PILOTS CALLED WEATHER CONDITIONS ‘SEVERE CLEAR,’ MEANING THEY HAD UNLIMITED VISIBILITY. THE DISPLAY PRESENTS A TIMELINE OF EVENTS OF SEPT. 11, 2001 BEFORE THE ATTACKS. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

The fourth — United Flight 93 bound for San Francisco — was hijacked by four men about 42 minutes after departing Newark, New Jersey. The hijackers’ intended target was the U.S. Capitol building. But a band of passengers stormed the cockpit in an attempt to retake control of the plane, forcing it down in a grassy field in Stonycreek Township in Somerset County. It hit the ground at 563 mph at 10:03 a.m., breaking the 154-foot plane into unrecognizable fragments.

Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the attacks.

Over the years, phases of the $62 million Flight 93 Memorial and Visitor Center have opened to pay tribute to the 33 passengers, two pilots and five flight attendants on Flight 93 who lost their lives in this selfless act of heroism and sacrifice.

The white marble Wall of Names at the Memorial Plaza, which extends a quarter mile along the crash site, was dedicated 10 years after the crash. The white-polished marble panels are inscribed with the names of each passenger and crew member. From this memorial you can see the 17-ton sandstone boulder in a grassy field that marks where the plane hit the ground.

THE WALL OF NAMES — WHITE MARBLE PANELS WHERE THE NAMES OF PASSENGERS AND CREW OF UNITED FLIGHT 93 ARE EACH INSCRIBED — IS PART OF MEMORIAL PLAZA, WHICH EXTENDS ALONG THE CRASH SITE. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

A concrete and glass Visitor Center — the memorial’s educational and interpretive hub — opened in 2015. A 93-foot Tower of Voices at the entrance of the park, with 40 aluminum chimes that signify the last phone calls the passengers and crew made to loved ones, opened in 2018. There are also 40 Memorial Groves to explore along the 1.2-mile Allée walking trail.

About 400,000 people visit the memorial and visitor center every year. Admission to the site, operated by the National Park Service, is free. There is a .7-mile path that connects the Wall of Names at Memorial Plaza to the Visitor Center up a hill. The center’s observation platform and the Wall of Names are aligned beneath the path of Flight 93.

THIS OBSERVATION DECK AT THE VISITOR CENTER OVERLOOKS THE MEMORIAL PLAZA AND CRASH SITE. IT IS LOCATED IN DIRECT ALIGNMENT OF THE PATH OF FLIGHT 93 ON THAT FATEFUL DAY. | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

Park rangers suggest allowing 45 minutes to an hour to explore the Visitor Center, which provides visual, audio and tangible exhibits.

Another project underway is development of a 1,500-mile trail connecting the three terrorist target areas in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and New York City as another tribute to the fallen heroes on 9/11. This is being spearheaded by the nonprofit September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance.

Right now, the route is a combination of quiet greenway and trail segments, back roads and some busier roads. Alliance President Jeffrey McCauley says an estimated 52% of the route is off-road and 48% on roads. While the alliance’s hope is to one day have the entire route off-road, there are spots where that is likely impossible. Planning and conversations are underway with private property and corporate owners along the route to see what can be accomplished.

“People are supportive of the effort,” he says.

A coordinated group of the Alliance rode 1,250 miles of the route this past summer, visiting with community leaders and historical societies to continue to spread the word about the importance of the trail.