Flight 93

A Trip to Flight 93. As it might come as no suprise to many of you but I found myself across the Pennsylvania country side again this week. Starting off the week Wednesday in Altoona, PA and made my way back to Pittsburgh for the weekend. The best part about this trip was as we drove back across I76 we made a stop off at Shanksville, PA to the crash site of United Flight 93 and visited the temporary memorial for the 40 passengers and crew aboard.

As is my custom I'm always up for an adventure and since the travel was not only free to me but was being paid to travel I thought 'Why not?'. We had a great time, as far as memorials go. It's not the kind of fun adventure I usually look for but more of a site seeing, photo op visit.

They erected a section of fence for the visitors to leave behind momentos and such for the memorial. This fence is cleaned, and the items are stored for the 1000 acre Permanent Memorial that is underway scheduled to open at the 10 yr anniversary.

There is a group of volunteers that man the Memorial from 8am - dust 365 days a year. 170k people desended on the town of Shanksville (pop. 600) last year and was scheduled to have 20 buses on Friday when I was there. Seems to be quite the stopping point.

The actual crash site is unavailable to visit since it's considered a burial site for those lost on Sep 11, 2001 but you can see it from the memorial. The land shows no evidence of the heroism and tragedy other than the fenced area and the flag.

All and all it was a good visit. Dave, Eddie, and I enjoyed the short stop over. We each walked around viewing the memorials that people left and offered our own silent prayers. Much like the WWII and Vietnam Memorials I say back in March is was filled with quiet moments and reflection. I'm so gratful that God has allowed me to visit some of these places this year and reflect on life. I have taken with me a renewed energy for Life, a gratitude for each day he gives me here, and a will to make a difference. I want to leave each day better off than it began.

Lord,

Grant us guidance and direction to live each day in a positive manner. Help us through the struggles life throws at us and not get frustrated. Take care of our families and help us raise our children submissive to your influence. Remember those who were lost in Shanksville to the highjackers and those families left behind to walk alone. Never let us fall back into the slumber we were in on that morning.

Grant us the peace that only you can provide. In Jesus name, Amen