The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) planned a series of events to mark the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the heroism of those onboard hijacked Flight 93, including live events honoring the victims and their families at the Flight 93 National Memorial in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The NPS observance began on Sept. 7 and 8 with virtual learning sessions for middle and high school teachers designed to address classroom lessons on 9/11 and continued with a mix of activity including a Luminaria Ceremony and a 9/11 observance with Vice President Kamala Harris and other dignitaries. The 9/11 ceremony was live-streamed on the park's Facebook page to keep attendance to a minimum during COVID.
"We are grateful to the National Park Service for their efforts to allow this to be done in a safe and respectful manner with technology in place to assure that the ceremony is accessible to all," Gordon Felt, brother to passenger Edward Porter Felt, said in a NPS release.
For in-person attendance, this year’s Sept. 11 observance at Flight 93 National Memorial was limited to invited guests and family members. The keynote speaker was Harris with remarks by former President George W. Bush and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
“The livestream provides the best platform for everyone to experience this international service to honor the sacrifice of the 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93, and to remember those we lost on Sept. 11, 2001,” Superintendent Stephen Clark said.
The ceremony also featured remarks from Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Capt. David Kurtz, commanding officer, USS Somerset.
Saturday's ceremony included reading the names of the passengers and crew members who gave their lives to keep the hijacked plane from striking the U.S. Capitol. The reading started at 10:03 a.m., the moment Flight 93 crashed, and coincided with the ringing of the Bells of Remembrance, according to NPS.
The events wrapped up on Sunday, Sept. 12, with the "Witness to History" Speaker Series speakers, which has covered everything from Flight 93 first-responders to the FBI investigation, NPS said.
"Flight 93 National Memorial is excited to host the 'Witness to History' speaker series!" Flight 93 National Memorial said on Facebook. "Presenters include military and civilian officials responsible for defending US airspace on Sept. 11, first responders, crash investigators, and important figures in the creation of the memorial,"
Hosted by Friends of Flight 93, the Luminaria Ceremony on Friday, Sept. 10, was a tribute to the passengers and crew with 40 candle lanterns placed at the Wall of Names. The public could attend this ceremony as well as a Memorial Tribute Concert by the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra at Memorial Plaza.
