STONYCREEK, Pa. _ Hundreds of people stood shoulder to shoulder and bells rang out on a hill in rural Western Pennsylvania Sunday to memorialize the heroes of Flight 93 on the 15th anniversary of their sacrifice.
The ceremony honoring the men and women, widely believed to have thwarted an attack on the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 11, 2001, began on a breezy morning with the Newark Boys Choir singing "America the Beautiful." Flight 93 originated from Newark International Airport.
The bells rung by Shanksville-Stonycreek High School students sounded after family members read the names of loved ones lost that day.
Before the ceremony, the din of voices were muffled by the occasional sounds of airplanes overhead or motorcycles and cars streaming to the Memorial Plaza and the wall of 40 names.
Morrie Wiener of Cherry Hill, N.J., a retired United Airlines captain, knew the Newark-based crew of Flight 93 and often flew the route the 757 jet took that day. Jason Dahl had been his flight instructor and Wiener wore a pin with a photo of flight attendant Lorraine Bay on his uniform.
"I lost a lot of good people that day," he said. "I come here every year and even now ... ." He choked up and didn't finish
He was among those who gathered in rows of folding chairs stretched out from the Flight 93 Memorial Visitors Center to accommodate friends and families and those who came to honor the sacrifice of the passengers and crew on 9/11.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell told the gathering: "We remember today and every day. ... We come together as their champions," for people who didn't know would become America's heroes.
She shared some of the writings of some of the visitors to the memorial.
"United you stood so we could live," she read. And then, through tears, she shared the words of a 17-year-old, thanking the 40 for their "completely selfless act" and promising they would not be forgotten.
Gordon Felt, president of the families of Flight 93, said he looked forward to the 2018 completion of a tower with 40 wind chimes at the memorial site, saying "these structures "are for tomorrow's children."
