This past weekend my wife and I went to a Bike rally with some Friends in Johnstown, Pa. Just south of Johnstown is the Flight 93 Memorial. Flight 93 was the plane that the passengers tried to retake from the terrorists on 911. The plane eventually crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pa...... killing all that were on board.
Currently, a national memorial is being built there with phase one to be completed and dedicated on September 11th of this year.
Though phase one is well along there is still much to be done. The memorial is a simple place........ a small viewing area far from the actual crash site surrounded by an old chain link fence, an old corrugated metal building............. and the field. Unremarkable yet so humbling.
I can't really explain the emotions but the only other time I've ever felt like this was when I visited the VietNam memorial in DC many years ago.
There is a calm, quiet feeling that you are in a very special place. Tears were flowing freely from many that were there. My own wife had to leave the building because her emotions took over.The parking lot was packed with about 100 motorcycles but every single one came in with radios turned off, moving slowly and as quietly as a Harley possibly can. Bikers were brought to tears and wiping a tear from under the rim of sunglasses that were hiding emotion filled eyes was the norm. You could have heard a pin drop in the packed room where the reminders of that day are remembered.
When I saw where this plane crashed and read the details of the crash..... I thought how much more horrible this would have been if it had crashed in a populated area.
As we pulled our Bikes out onto the road as we left my wife leaned up and said to me, "I never realized how close this is to home as a plane would fly. How long would it take a jet like that to get to our town from here?".
My response.... "Ten minutes".....
This was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. PLEASE....... if you have the opportuinty, go to the Memorial site. It will put everything into perspective and make you realize why we need to stand for what we are as a Country and as Americans.
I left there feeling sad like I rarely have, calmed, and proud to live in this great Country.
Peace.......
