![Hold Back the Dawn [DVD] Charles Boyer; Olivia de Havilland; Paulette Goddard](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AkExBJQsL._SL75_.jpg)
Remembering till it hurts
Friday, December 2, 2022 at 06:44PM 
Follow the path to the overlook
Ahoy, mateys.
I hope you had a blessed and love-filled Thanksgiving with many sweet faces to look upon and plentiful scrumptious goodies to eat.
We certainly did. There were a few bumps in the road but none of us are too much the worse for wear.
So preoccupied have I been that I just realized it's one week and then some, since the aforementioned quintessential fall holiday. Where that week went, I will never know.
The wall of names resembles accordion-pleated marble
I guess I would have to say that it went mostly to cleaning and decorating and getting organized for Christmas.
Some shopping may have taken place as well.
I have technically been finished with Christmas gift buying for a few weeks, but you know how it is: there are always loose ends that need tying up.
The stark concrete walls are broken in places, revealing the sky
Someone whose gift idea didn't work out, forcing you to change directions. The returning and replacing of things. Planning and buying of stocking stuffers and such like.
It will all be fine.
But a few weeks ago I promised to tell you about the second leg of our late-October trip, which began with a visit to my friend Sara and her husband Marty, in Virginia.
So let's get started.
The Tower of Voices late on an October afternoon
On the day we left Sara and Marty's bucolic environs, we were headed for a place that, in late summer this year, I developed a hankering to see with my own eyes.
(It followed my chance reading of this short essay by Ben Domenech on his substack, The Transom.)
And that place was Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Trivia: The crash did not actually take place in Shanksville. The address of the Flight 93 National Memorial is Stoystown, Pennsylvania.
The structure delineating the flight path, from a distance
Stoystown proper is located a few miles northwest of the crash site.
It is more accurate to say that Flight 93 ended its journey in Stonycreek Township.
(I imagine that the first reporters on the scene referred to the site as Shanksville, as it is the nearest town.)
(Certainly many of the first responders to the scene came from Shanksville.)
The gate leads onto the field and to the place of impact
It took us less than three hours to get there. it was a sunny, windy, chilly day that would see me needing to add an extra layer to my outfit before heading out to the field where the heroes died.
First though, we drove into the town and saw the same sign that Ben Domenech mentions in his article.
Welcome to Shanksville ... A Friendly Little Town.
Home of the Vikings.
One of the few pieces of the airplane showing United Airlines livery
And, below all of that: Shanksville Honors the Heroes of Flight 93.
It's unassuming farm country. There is nothing on your approach to the Flight 93 National Memorial that signals your proximity to it.
The original entrance to the memorial has been changed, and when you reach that first one via your phone's GPS, a vague sign points you in the direction of the new one.
We got there, and again: at a glance, there doesn't seem to be much to see.
The Visitor Center
First to come into view was the Tower of Voices, of which I'd read and which I was eager to both see and hear. It is ninety-three feet tall and there are forty chimes: one for each victim of the Flight 93 crash.
(There were forty-four souls abord the plane; the four terrorists are not counted among the victims.)
I'd assumed that the tower would be close to the other things, but it is in fact a good distance from the Visitor Center and Memorial Plaza, and from the crash site itself.
The chimes are motivated to ring only by the wind, and winds of at least twelve miles an hour must prevail in order for them to sound.
This sign welcomes visitors to Shanksville
This day, the ambient winds were light, wafting through at perhaps seven miles an hour. The voices were still.
I was disappointed at the silence. If you're interested, you can hear the chimes here.
But I am getting ahead of my own story. We visited the chimes as we were leaving the memorial site; first, we went to the Visitor Center.
It is an odd-looking structure until you realize what is going on. The approach is like walking towards a tunnel of sorts, with high walls which separate at intervals, and no ceiling.
It happened here: the field and the boulder, from the overlook
At your feet there is a walkway of stone that resembles black planks.
I later learned that the walls and the stone planks delineate the plane's flight path in its final moments. Their texture also mimics that of the hemlock trees that became part of the crash site.
Once inside the initial opening between the two walls, you see the Visitor Center itself.
Inside, there is a small gift shop, and then various displays and mementoes relating to the crash and the passengers.
It was an honor just to stand beside their pictures
Television monitors play, on an endless loop, the footage we have all memorized from that day.
You can stand at a bank of headphones and listen to the actual messages that several victims left for their loved ones on their answering machines or cell phones.
On display is a small piece of the plane -- one of the few pieces that survived and exist.
And of course there are pictures of the victims.
There is one chime for each silenced voice
By the time I had seen and heard all of this, my heart was hurting so badly that I had to get some fresh air.
Back outside, you keep walking on the black stone pathway until, off to the left, you are steered towards an observation deck.
From it, you can see the field where the plane crashed, at the edge of a grove of hemlock trees.
A seventeen-ton sandstone boulder moved there at some point from elsewhere on the site marks the spot where Flight 93 made impact with the earth, traveling at a speed of 563 miles an hour.
First responders are appropriately memorialized
The field is enclosed by a low wall, and there is a discreetly placed gate through which only family members, and the occasional government official, are allowed to pass.
After hanging out on the observation deck for a time, I went back inside the Visitor Center in search of TG.
We decided to drive down to Memorial Plaza rather than take the long walkway there from the Visitor Center.
An informative talk was being delivered by someone official but we decided to keep walking towards the field.
The overlook offers a sweeping panorama of the crash site
Once there, all you can do is look. You can try to imagine what those people went through, but nothing in your experience compares to it, or even comes close.
You look back at the concrete tunnel that marks the plane's flight path, and see how short a time there would have been from that place, to the place where it ended.
The boulder sits marking the spot and you gaze at it, thinking about all that it means.
There is a wall of corrugated marble with all of the names, and past that, the gate that I talked about before.
Never Forget: September 11, 2001
By this time, grief was dogging my steps. We decided it was time move on.
If you have never been to the Flight 93 Memorial and you're curious as to what all I am talking about, this YouTube video offers an informal guided tour that you may want to watch.
Before leaving the area, TG and I each took one another's picture beside the pictures of the victims.
On the way out, we stopped at the Tower of Voices and wished that the winds were stronger.
I appreciated the freedom to walk in ... and out
That was it. I had planned a place for us to eat in nearby Somerset, and we made our way there.
After supper, we drove to Pittsburgh.
Next time, I'll tell you what we did there.
Meanwhile, I hope you will enjoy every minute of this glorious Christmas season.
And that is all for now.
=0=0=0=
Happy Friday :: Happy December
Reader Comments (18)
I had no idea this place even existed!! Oh my, what emotions i have been feeling with your post, so I can't imagine how you must have felt really being there. You have done a really smashing job of showing us and explaining! The chimes sound mournful and foreboding to me, don't you think? Rather suitable for what this stands for.
Well, now I am crying on a Saturday morning and my heart hurts too. I live in the greater NYC area and have never been able to go to the memorial. Too many neighbors died on that horrific day; too much loss and pain was wrought into all of our souls.
May we remember what unites us as Americans. May these brave souls eternally rest in peace and may their loved ones always feel them close until they are once again reunited.
Maryellen.
How heartbreaking. I would have been overwhelmed, I think. It is such a sad part of our history, isn't it? I listed to the bells and how mournful they sound. I am sure that is a day that will stick in your memory for life. I felt that way visiting the Vietnam traveling memorial. Overwhelmed.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Jenny. xo Diana
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and the haunting photographs. It would not be too far of a drive for us to go, but I honestly don’t think I could handle it. I am crying just reading your post. All I can think of is the torment those poor, innocent people went through in their last moments. It is more than I can take.
I'm happy to hear you had a nice Thanksgiving and are getting ready for Christmas.
I have to tell you I cried through this entire post and still now as I write this. CeeCee Lyles was a friend of mine. That is her picture fourth row down, second from the end. She left behind her husband that was a police officer in Ft. Myers, 2 sons and 2 step sons. She called her husband and told him what was happening. She said take care of the boys. Then said I have to go, it's about to go down. She was an incredibly remarkable woman.
Take care my friend!!
Lump in my throat...
"Goosebumps"...
Heart hurt...
Can't say more...
Except Thank You for taking me there, where I will never go...
"Let's roll!!!!"
I'm feeling so moved, just reading this. It looks like they really planned this out to make people think and remember and honor those on that flight. A very worthwhile place to make a visit,
@Ginny ... The chimes do sound mournful. I wish I could have heard them in person! I think that every American should visit at least one 9/11 crash site; I have been to NYC twice since 9/11 but the memorial that is there now was not finished the last time I was there (in 2011). I will likely never visit NYC again so I was grateful for the opportunity to pay my respects at Shanksville. xoxo
@Maryellen ... Amen, my friend, to all that you said. It was hard to see this but I'm glad we made the effort. xoxo
@Diana ... For sure I will never forget the experience of visiting this place. The bells are haunting indeed. But how wonderful that those chimes exist to remind us to never forget the individuals who gave their lives that day. xoxo
@Bijoux ... It was hard. I was surprised at how hard it hit me, the pictures and the voices, the artifacts and the site itself. It's difficult to comprehend what happened there, all these years later when it is such a quiet and peaceful place. I too am filled with sorrow when I think about what their last moments were like, with all of the terror and fear. It's so inhuman and we must never forget. I was glad we were able to go in person and pay our respects. xoxo
@Lori ... I am very familiar with Cee Cee Lyles and I listened to her message to her husband. It was so heartbreaking. What a great, spirited lady she was. So young! It's hard for me to even fathom all that her death, and the deaths of those who died with her, meant and still mean to all of those who loved them. I am sorry for your loss of a friend. xoxo
@Mari-Nanci ... You're welcome, my friend! Sometimes it's all we can do to read about things, and it's good that we do, because it is almost as good as being there in person. I'm happy that I was able to goi and to tell you about it. Merry Christmas! xoxo
@Mari ... It is amazingly well thought out, and executed, and it is a profound experience to stand there and walk there and breathe there, where they had those last awful moments and then were gone. How different that day would have been if those brave folks had not done what they did. xoxo
Rich and I were there several years ago on our way to Atlantic City. We stopped for the night and didn't realize we were so close to the site. There was a temporary memorial then. There were quite a few people there and everyone was so quiet. It was such a sad and humbling experience. The crash site was marked with a flag instead of a boulder at that time and you couldn't go on it then either. I would love to go back someday and see the permanent memorial. Here's the link to my post if you care to read it. XO
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6825120463786860540/1428085298303904406
Your experience and descriptions are giving me an onsite experience of those last moments. Thanks for the reminder that loved ones continue to live with loss.
Hi Jenny,
Thank you for sharing this tour with us. I still cry when I read any story about September 11th.
Thank you again for sharing,
Carla
@Jeanette ... You must have seen something similar to what Ben Domenech describes in his article. I can't imagine having gone there any sooner than we did. It is a subject that depresses me instantly but I wanted to pay respects and I wanted to do it at the site. Love you friend xoxo
@LC ... good to see you and yes it's good to be reminded. I hope your Thanksgiving was happy and that you're having a Merry Christmas. xoxo
@Carla ... You're welcome and I am right there with you. xoxo
hi there Jenny, I enjoyed this post very much....even though it was very very SAD. Your photos are lovely, what a blue blue sky that day! I so wish y'all had got to hear the chimes. Thank you for taking us there, and showing us this spot, and a time to remember. We've been very busy with December's comings and goings and doings.....my goal was to BE DONE Christmas shopping by December 1st, and YAY I MET MY GOAL. So glad for that. Now I must begin the wrapping process. We have finally finished "decking our halls" and got the trees up. I love all the bright lights of the Season. Hugs~
Yes, this is hallowed ground. We can't forget this, and we don't want to. I have always teared up when I hear them talk about, "Let's roll."
This post shows a place of strength, power, sorrow, courage, beauty, remembrance, art, Beautiful and I would like to visit and to hear the chimes.
Goodness...It was hard to read through this post...Flight 93. What a horrific day. I still cry over it.
Love you girlfriend...big hugs.
Donna
We lost a friend on the Pentagon plane. He was just 29 and had a meeting at the Pentagon prior to boarding his flight. He was a college friend of our sons, and after he received his aeronautical engineering degree, took a year to help our sons build the house we still occupy. Our family grieved along with his family and many friends - what a senseless loss of a talented and charming young man. Any mention of September 11 brings me memories of the terrible shock and grief we experienced as a country.
@Debbi ... I'm glad you're all geared up for the seasonal festivities! I too had a goal of having the presents bought by 12/1, and actually I wanted to have them all wrapped by then but that part took a little longer, haaha! Yes the sky was so blue and clear on the day we were in Shanksville. Somehow it added to the poignancy of the experience. Have a very Merry Christmas, my friend! xoxo
@Gayla ... Exactly. Let's Roll are immortal words for sure. xoxo
@Terra ... so true and I too wish we could have heard the chimes in person. xoxo
@Donna ... same. It was life-changing for all of us. xoxo
@Barb ... Oh dear what a tragic story. I cannot imagine. Yes the losses were senseless and so very sad. I pray that his family have been able to find healing. Merry Christmas my friend! xoxo