This post is dedicated to the Heroes of United Flight 93. It is also dedicated to those who assisted after the crash, those heroes responsible for recovery and investigation. Most of all, this post is dedicated to my brother, FBI Agent Gary Leone. Thank you for sharing your story with me.
Remembering the Heroes of Flight 93
On September 11, 2001, a small town in rural Western Pennsylvania became part of American history most tragically. In a field in an abandoned mine in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, United Flight 93 violently crashed, killing the 40 passengers and crew and the evil terrorists responsible for hijacking the plane. The passengers and crew members selflessly gave their lives in an effort to save thousands of lives from a massive and planned terror attack.
The morning of September 11, 2001 began as a relatively normal morning for America until news of a plane crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City emerged. It appeared at first to be an accident, yet no conditions were present that could necessarily cause such a horrific crash. The late summer morning gave clear skies with no notable weather breaking. Shortly after the plane crashed, members of the FBI in Pittsburgh gathered in their breakroom to discuss the event, and as they watched the televised coverage, they witnessed the horror of a second plane hitting the South Tower. It became evident that this was no accident. America was under attack.
Gary Leone was a member of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team in Pittsburgh and recalled how the team received dispatch orders to New York City to assist in rescue and recovery efforts at the Twin Towers. As the Evidence Response Team pulled out of their underground garage, a third plane crashed into the Pentagon. The team was re-routed to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, unaware of the reason or the details. The team wondered how a plane crash in the middle of nowhere was more pressing than what was happening in New York City and Washington, DC. According to Mr. Leone, a native of Cambria County, “Being from around this area, there’s not anything of that scale like the World Trade Center in Somerset, Pennsylvania.”[1]
As local, state, and federal emergency response crews arrived on the scene at Shanksville, they did not see a plane or even big pieces of an aircraft. They saw a giant crater in the ground, smoke, and fires in the nearby woods. The smell of jet fuel and death permeated the air. Pennsylvania State Police Trooper recounted, “I just remember the smell. That will always stay with you, the smell of the burnt fuel. It’s diesel fuel with the human body, you never forget that smell. It always will stay with you.”[2] Everybody on the scene was desperate to help in any way they could. According to Somerset County Coroner Wallace Miller, “So, you knew that it came through a very, at a very high rate of speed and you could just see that debris all over the place, and that was actually the only evidence that it was a crash.”[3]
With no large visible pieces of a plane, rescue workers would realize that the aircraft hit so fast and with such vicious force that much of it was buried under that crater several feet underground. With looming smoke and fires and by the size of the crater, they realized this was no longer about rescue; it would be about recovery. Nobody could have survived this treacherous impact.
Despite the chaos and so much still unknown, the agencies at every level organized. Shortly after that, then-Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Ridge, arrived at the site, and officials briefed Ridge on what they knew at that point. United Flight 93 crashed after a hijacking attempt by terrorists. The attack was, in fact, related to the earlier ones of the day in New York City and Washington, DC. Governor Ridge gave a passionate press conference as the country, state, and local community banded together amid the heinous tragedy.
As for the members of the Evidence Response Team and other agencies, they began the grueling task of recovery, gently loading what items they could find in small, color-coded bins while others sifted through screens, using the utmost care to separate evidence and remains. They were desperate to find anything – be it parts of the plane, luggage to identify the victims, or human remains. Other critical pieces of evidence proved vital for the investigation. Gary Leone stated, “Find the passports of the individuals that were responsible for this horrific act and finding the types of weapons that they used to hijack this plane was a good feeling to know that we were able to gather such important items to help prove who did this and how they did it in order to stop it from happening again.”[4]
The discovery of the flight recorder and cockpit voice recorder provided investigators with much-needed intelligence on determining what exactly happened on United Flight 93. Also, it helped tie the Flight 93 crash to the other September 11, 2001, events that occurred in Washington, DC, and New York City. Despite suffering some damage, the information on the recorders proved valuable to the investigation. The New York Times reported, “A desperate and wild struggle took place aboard the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 before it crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania.”[5] One of the critical distinctions in locating the recorders at Shanksville versus New York City and Washington DC was that there was significantly less debris since the plane crashed in a field versus buildings where rescue efforts, in addition to recovery efforts, continued.
As crews continued to look for evidence, the family members would arrive on the scene. Temporary memorials began to spring up around the site and the community. As the family arrived, Gary Leone of the FBI Evidence Response Team noted, “It was quiet for the first time since we had been there and it was, looking up on the hill, seeing all the families see the site for the first time, and seeing where their loved ones had been and knowing what their loved ones had done for this country was pretty powerful, pretty emotional.”[6] People left different types of memorials and mementos to honor the victims aboard Flight 93 and the workers. Leone added, “One thing that I will forever be thankful for is the support of the community around this area, whether it’s the schools with all the little kids making banners or people hanging their flags up and all the flags on their cars. We just saw countless numbers of signs in support of us as the FBI or the first responders or the collectors.”[7]
It became apparent that this town, this location, was forever changed. Shanksville became a place of heroes, a place of honor and respect for those who perished to save the lives of thousands of others. In March 2002, The Washington Post published an article on how this “Tiny Town Adjusts as the Visitors Keep Coming to See Where Hijacked Flight 93 Hit on September 11.”[8] The Somerset County Historical Society oversaw initial efforts to collect memorials and artifacts left by visitors. On September 24, 2002, Congress passed an act, Public Law 107-226, stating “to authorize a national memorial to commemorate the passengers and crew of Flight 93, who on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives thereby thwarting a planned attack on our Nation’s Capital.”[9] On September 10, 2015, the permanent Flight 93 National Memorial opened its doors first to the family members of the Flight 93 victims.
Upon arrival, visitors can walk the actual flight path of United Flight 93. Outside the Visitor’s Center, one can walk over to the lookout where the unforgettable words remain, “A common field one day. A field of honor forever,”[10] looking out into the field where Flight 93 crashed. Even with all of the work that has gone into making the permanent Flight 93 National Memorial, the site continues to honor the original temporary memorials established immediately after the crash. Inside the visitor’s center, you can also witness the various artifacts and the story of Flight 93. The National Park Service continues to provide education on the history of Shanksville and Flight 93 while growing exhibits at the Memorial and eventually virtual exhibits on their website.
As you walk down to Memorial Plaza, which stands before the crash site, the final place of rest for the victims of Flight 93, visitors can pause and reflect and walk alongside the hallowed landscape of the nearby crash site. A massive boulder remains in the sacred field commemorating the plane’s impact location. Walking a little further, you arrive at the Wall of Names, where the name of each victim of Flight 93 appears. More often than not, various artifacts and mementos are present, left by family members, friends, and even strangers.
Finally, there stands the Tower of Voices; it is a living memorial that stands 93 feet and holds 40 wind chimes in honor of the crews and passengers. The Tower of Voices appeared after the final construction of the Flight 93 National Memorial, dedicated on September 10, 2020. It is truly a sight to behold. The Memorial’s website includes a clip of the chimes ringing in the event there is no wind at the time of your visit.
Often overshadowed by the magnitude of events in New York City and Washington DC, the Flight 93 Memorial offers an incredible experience and inspires people to learn more, thereby keeping the history of the heroes of Flight 93 alive. Once an unknown random small town in rural Western Pennsylvania, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, became a battlefield on September 11, 2001. Forty brave passengers and crew members fought a war against terrorists and became the ultimate heroes by stopping a large-scale terrorist attack. They sacrificed their lives to save thousands of others. That battlefield is now a cemetery, a place to honor and pay respects to the heroes of United Flight 93.
Bibliography:
“Black Box Crucial to Answers.” Daily American, September 13, 2001.
“Boeing 757 Crashes in Pennsylvania: Second Plane Also Down, United Airlines Reports.” The Washington Post, Sept 11, 2001. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fhistorical-newspapers%2Fboeing-757-crashes-pennsylvania%2Fdocview%2F1962442586%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
Broderick, James, interview with Barbara Black, May 11, 2005, FLNI OH 6, transcript, Oral History Collection, Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA.
Dammann, Andrea, interview by Kathie Shaffer, August 23, 2010, FLNI OH 591, transcript, Oral History Collection, Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA.
“Flight 93 National Memorial Mission Statement Revealed.” Daily American, May 15, 2004.
“Flight Data Recorder Found.” Daily American, September 14, 2001.
“Flight Data Recorder is Found at Pa. Site: Federal Investigator Says Military was Not Involved in United Airlines Crash.” The Washington Post, Sep 14, 2001. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fhistorical-newspapers%2Fflight-data-recorder-is-found-at-pa-site%2Fdocview%2F1964879809%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
Graff, Garrett M. The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2019.
Kashurba, Glenn J. Courage after the Crash: Flight 93 Aftermath: An Oral & Pictorial Chronicle. Somerset, PA: SAJ Pub., 2002.
Leone, Gary, personal interviews and conversations between Mr. Leone and MaryBeth Allison, June 4, 2022, Shanksville, PA.
Miller, Wallace, interview by Kathie Shaffer, July 19, 2007, FLNI OH 305, transcript, Oral History Collection, Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA.
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks. 2004. The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States. New York, NY: Norton & Co, 2004.
“Pa. Crash Site Finding Its Place in History: Tiny Town Adjusts as the Visitors Keep Coming to See Where Hijacked Flight 93 Hit on Sept. 11.” The Washington Post, March 25, 2002. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fhistorical-newspapers%2Fpa-crash-site-finding-place-history%2Fdocview%2F2075003047%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
“Tape Reveals Wild Struggle on Flight 93: Bin Laden Link is Seen in Afghan Assassination, The Investigation Tape Shows Wild Struggle Before Pennsylvania Crash, So Far the Chief Suspect Other Suspects, the Black Box.” New York Times, September 22, 2001. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fhistorical-newspapers%2Ftape-reveals-wild-struggle-on-flight-93%2Fdocview%2F92032759%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
“Terror Touches Somerset County.” Daily American, September 12, 2001.
“The Pennsylvania Crash: Recorder Founder; May Reveal a Struggle Piecing Together the Last Minutes Before a Crash in a Pennsylvania Field.” New York Times, Sep 14, 2001. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fhistorical-newspapers%2Fpennsylvania-crash%2Fdocview%2F92143207%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
“The Pennsylvania Crash: Investigators Begin Examining Wreckage for Data Recorders.” New York Times, Sep 13, 2001.http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fhistorical-newspapers%2Fpennsylvania-crash%2Fdocview%2F91915036%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
US Congress. “Flight 93 National Memorial Act.” HR 3917, 107th Congress, Congressional Record, Vol 148, Public Law. (September 24, 2002): Public Law 107-226.
Alkana, Linda Kelly. “What Happened on 9/11? Nine Years of Polling College Undergraduates: ‘It Was Always Just a Fact That It Happened.’” The History Teacher 44, no. 4 (2011): 601–12.
Doss, Erika. “Remembering 9/11: Memorials and Cultural Memory.” OAH Magazine of History 25, no. 3 (2011): 27–30.
Kashurba, Glenn J. Quiet Courage: The Definitive Account of Flight 93 and Its Aftermath. Somerset, PA: SAJ Pub., 2006.
McMillan, Tom. Flight 93: The Story, the Aftermath, and the Legacy of American Courage on 9/11. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
1 Leone, Gary, interview by Kathie Shaffer, July 8, 2011, FLNI OH 678, transcript, Oral History Collection, Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA.
[2] Broderick, James, interview with Barbara Black, May 11, 2005, FLNI OH 6, transcript, Oral History Collection, Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA.
3 Miller, Wallace, interview by Kathie Shaffer, July 19, 2007, FLNI OH 305, transcript, Oral History Collection, Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA.
4 Leone, Gary, interview by Kathie Shaffer, July 8, 2011, FLNI OH 678, transcript, Oral History Collection, Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA.
5 “Tape Reveals Wild Struggle on Flight 93: Bin Laden Link is Seen in Afghan Assassination, The Investigation Tape Shows Wild Struggle Before Pennsylvania Crash, So Far the Chief Suspect Other Suspects, the Black Box.” New York Times, September 22, 2001. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fhistorical-newspapers%2Ftape-reveals-wild-struggle-on-flight-93%2Fdocview%2F92032759%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
[6] Leone, Gary, interview by Kathie Shaffer, July 8, 2011, FLNI OH 678, transcript, Oral History Collection, Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA.
[7] Leone, Gary, interview by Kathie Shaffer, July 8, 2011, FLNI OH 678, transcript, Oral History Collection, Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA.
[8] “Pa. Crash Site Finding Its Place in History: Tiny Town Adjusts as the Visitors Keep Coming to See Where Hijacked Flight 93 Hit on Sept. 11.” The Washington Post, March 25, 2002. http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fhistorical-newspapers%2Fpa-crash-site-finding-place-history%2Fdocview%2F2075003047%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D12085
[9] US Congress. “Flight 93 National Memorial Act.” HR 3917, 107th Congress, Congressional Record, Vol 148, Public Law. (September 24, 2002): Public Law 107-226.
[10] “Flight 93 National Memorial Mission Statement Revealed.” Daily American, May 15, 2004.
That History Lady 