It was a full day's drive to go from Niagara Falls, New York, to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. My Australian friends and I were scheduled to take a guided tour of the Gettysburg Civil War Battlefield, but not before making a stop in rural Pennsylvania at a destination that held great significance and meaning to us all.
I had just started milking my host family's cows when Andrew appeared in the dairy parlor early in the morning on Sept. 12, 2001. I had been enjoying myself, counting my blessings for having been placed with such a generous, caring family in Australia. On that morning he approached and announced, without any sense of alarm or urgency that "an airplane" had crashed in New York City - it was all over the radio.
We shrugged off that initial report and continued the morning chores. It had probably been a student pilot in a Cessna, we both concluded.
Going in for breakfast put perspective on the incident. For three days, Australian television and radio broadcast nothing but footage and analysis of the terror attacks of Sept. 11. Because of the time change, most of Australia - myself included - simply did not hear about it until early on Sept. 12.
For days afterwards, local radio stations held listener call-ins, where average, everyday Aussies were encouraged to voice their opinion on-air. Every caller I heard was outraged; many were moved to tears. In Melbourne, the American Consulate received tons - literally, tons - of flowers. I happened to drive by the week following the Sept. 11 attacks, and bouquets were still being heaped up in the front lawn, letters of condolence tied to the gate. I will always cherish the sympathy my country was given by my Australian hosts.
It has been more than 12 years since the terror attacks of Sept. 11. To put that in perspective, neither Lachlan, 14, nor Mitchell, 12, have any recollection of the incidents. Lachlan is old enough to understand the significance, but too young to remember.
It was late in the afternoon by the time we arrived at the Flight 93 Memorial, which is now a U.S. National Park. As we approached the entryway Mitchell politely wondered why we were here - what was the meaning behind a memorial in the middle of farmland?
As I explained the importance, his eyes grew wide. Mitchell's was a natural reaction, to be awestruck by the story of Flight 93, which was actually delayed on the morning of Sept. 11. This delay allowed the passengers to become aware of their situation. Had the flight left on time, it would have slammed into its target at roughly the same time as the other jets. As it was, passengers on Flight 93 realized what was going on, and voted amongst themselves to intervene.
The flight recorder captured audio of a loud struggle as passengers broke into the cockpit - shouts, screams, calls to action, and breaking glass is clearly heard in the background. The hijackers remained in control of the jet, and swerved erratically in an attempt to thwart the coup. Flight data revealed that the airliner pitched violently up and down, and on its side during the final minutes of flight, before finally rolling upside down and crashing into the earth at more than 560 miles per hour. In that instant, more than 7,000 gallons of jet fuel erupted. Witnesses to the crash described a "glittering" cloud mushrooming high above the treetops.
At the time of our visit the Flight 93 Memorial was a work in progress, but absolutely worth the visit. Park volunteers greeted us as we joined other visitors paying homage in a large, open reception area. Immediately, the memorial struck me as tasteful, elegant, and worthy of the sacrifice for which it represents.
Scattered throughout the reception area are placards detailing the identities and biographies of the Flight 93 passengers and crew. Following the reception area is a long, sweeping path that overlooks the actual crash site. A low wall provides a place for visitors to reflect. Narrow cubbies within the wall encourage people to leave tokens of remembrance. During our walk through I noticed that visitors had offered flowers, charms, and children's toys.
The path ends at a large terrace. A brick walkway documents the path of flight, and a large boulder commemorates the location of impact. Here, a wall displays the names of the passengers and crew. The term "& unborn" follows many of the female names. As I stood along the flight path, the hair on the back of my neck bristled. I could practically hear the shrieks of the doomed jet race overhead.
Although the Flight 93 Memorial was not yet completed, we walked away in revered silence. The completion of the memorial will only add to the dignity and honor represented by the story of Flight 93. Andrew, Belinda, Lachlan and Mitchell were the only foreigners visiting the site that day, but as I mentioned earlier, Flight 93 holds special significance for them, too.
It is not known for sure what the intended target was, for the hijackers of Flight 93. Most likely, they were planning to strike the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. This is significant, because legislators would have been in session.
What's more, at precisely the moment Flight 93 would have hit the U.S. Capitol, John Howard was scheduled to speak. John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a column for the Times each Tuesday. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
I had just started milking my host family's cows when Andrew appeared in the dairy parlor early in the morning on Sept. 12, 2001. I had been enjoying myself, counting my blessings for having been placed with such a generous, caring family in Australia. On that morning he approached and announced, without any sense of alarm or urgency that "an airplane" had crashed in New York City - it was all over the radio.
We shrugged off that initial report and continued the morning chores. It had probably been a student pilot in a Cessna, we both concluded.
Going in for breakfast put perspective on the incident. For three days, Australian television and radio broadcast nothing but footage and analysis of the terror attacks of Sept. 11. Because of the time change, most of Australia - myself included - simply did not hear about it until early on Sept. 12.
For days afterwards, local radio stations held listener call-ins, where average, everyday Aussies were encouraged to voice their opinion on-air. Every caller I heard was outraged; many were moved to tears. In Melbourne, the American Consulate received tons - literally, tons - of flowers. I happened to drive by the week following the Sept. 11 attacks, and bouquets were still being heaped up in the front lawn, letters of condolence tied to the gate. I will always cherish the sympathy my country was given by my Australian hosts.
It has been more than 12 years since the terror attacks of Sept. 11. To put that in perspective, neither Lachlan, 14, nor Mitchell, 12, have any recollection of the incidents. Lachlan is old enough to understand the significance, but too young to remember.
It was late in the afternoon by the time we arrived at the Flight 93 Memorial, which is now a U.S. National Park. As we approached the entryway Mitchell politely wondered why we were here - what was the meaning behind a memorial in the middle of farmland?
As I explained the importance, his eyes grew wide. Mitchell's was a natural reaction, to be awestruck by the story of Flight 93, which was actually delayed on the morning of Sept. 11. This delay allowed the passengers to become aware of their situation. Had the flight left on time, it would have slammed into its target at roughly the same time as the other jets. As it was, passengers on Flight 93 realized what was going on, and voted amongst themselves to intervene.
The flight recorder captured audio of a loud struggle as passengers broke into the cockpit - shouts, screams, calls to action, and breaking glass is clearly heard in the background. The hijackers remained in control of the jet, and swerved erratically in an attempt to thwart the coup. Flight data revealed that the airliner pitched violently up and down, and on its side during the final minutes of flight, before finally rolling upside down and crashing into the earth at more than 560 miles per hour. In that instant, more than 7,000 gallons of jet fuel erupted. Witnesses to the crash described a "glittering" cloud mushrooming high above the treetops.
At the time of our visit the Flight 93 Memorial was a work in progress, but absolutely worth the visit. Park volunteers greeted us as we joined other visitors paying homage in a large, open reception area. Immediately, the memorial struck me as tasteful, elegant, and worthy of the sacrifice for which it represents.
Scattered throughout the reception area are placards detailing the identities and biographies of the Flight 93 passengers and crew. Following the reception area is a long, sweeping path that overlooks the actual crash site. A low wall provides a place for visitors to reflect. Narrow cubbies within the wall encourage people to leave tokens of remembrance. During our walk through I noticed that visitors had offered flowers, charms, and children's toys.
The path ends at a large terrace. A brick walkway documents the path of flight, and a large boulder commemorates the location of impact. Here, a wall displays the names of the passengers and crew. The term "& unborn" follows many of the female names. As I stood along the flight path, the hair on the back of my neck bristled. I could practically hear the shrieks of the doomed jet race overhead.
Although the Flight 93 Memorial was not yet completed, we walked away in revered silence. The completion of the memorial will only add to the dignity and honor represented by the story of Flight 93. Andrew, Belinda, Lachlan and Mitchell were the only foreigners visiting the site that day, but as I mentioned earlier, Flight 93 holds special significance for them, too.
It is not known for sure what the intended target was, for the hijackers of Flight 93. Most likely, they were planning to strike the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. This is significant, because legislators would have been in session.
What's more, at precisely the moment Flight 93 would have hit the U.S. Capitol, John Howard was scheduled to speak. John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a column for the Times each Tuesday. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
