There's no question that the Flight 93 Crash Site is the spot where the War On Terror began.
Until Flight 93 came down at 10:06 am on Sept. 11, 2001 -- a result, it's overwhelmingly believed, of passengers fighting hijackers for control of the plane -- America had just been a VICTIM of terror. Not here in Shanksville, pal.
In this part of central Pennsylvania, the abundance of homemade "Let's Roll!" signs and bumper stickers echo the prevailing sentiment that the Flight 93 Crash Site marks the spot where America started taking action.
The "temporary" national memorial in Shanksville stirs powerful emotions in nearly all who visit. It's in the middle of an open field, miles from the nearest town, and many miles from the nearest freeway interchange or Starbucks. There's room here for all of America to express its opinion.
To get to the Flight 93 Crash Site, visitors drive down an empty two-lane road, past a tall junkyard pile of scrapped Pepsi vending machines and a sign that reads, "We Buy Scrap Metals." On the horizon sit two giant dragline steam shovels, immobile, their rusting hulks marking an old strip mine.
The actual crash site, way out in a big, empty field, is marked with a small cross and an American flag. Back by the road is the ad hoc memorial, created by the people -- like a highway fatality shrine that's been given its own parking area and porta-potties. A small open shed contains a guest register and scrapbooks of photos and news clips. A length of hurricane fence has been erected to hold hats, photos, poems, home-made signs, etc. Lots of flags flutter in the breeze.
The metal guardrails around the parking lot are covered with patriotic bumper stickers and Sharpie scrawls -- pledges of remembrance, vows of revenge, prayers and thanks from appreciative citizens. People bend over, quietly reading the guardrail. There are benches for sitting -- with names inscribed in them -- another, bigger cross, and a slew of personal messages taped to rocks, photos, and just scattered in the grass.
The Flight 93 Crash Site Memorial reminds us of the massacre site at the Battle of Little Big Horn (without the moral ambiguity) -- a grassy expanse where pretty much everything is left to your imagination. And perhaps that is how it should remain.
It is very quiet here; a good place to meditate over the events of that fateful day.
To the east, in the town of Friedens, the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel (1790 Coleman Station Rd) was dedicated to "the glory of God and the glory of heroes."
Update - Nov. 2009: Now a project of the National Park Service, the groundbreaking for the permanent national memorial was held Nov. 7, 2009. The design took many years to be ironed out, at one point generating controversy because of a perceived Islamic crescent in the layout. The final approved design is spread over a 2,200 acre park, and will include the Field of Honor (AKA The Bowl), The Sacred Ground, and a Visitors Center. Lots of low walls and taller slabs in the design. The initial phase of the memorial is scheduled to be dedicated on Sept. 11, 2011. The Tower of Voices will be built in a later phase, will be visible from miles away and will house 40 wind chimes representing the 40 dead (not including terrorists).
