Memorial Day Special - Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County, PA

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background

September 11, 2001.  Four commercial airliners were hijacked by al Qaeda terrorists and used as weapons.   Two impact the World Trade Center towers in NY, a third strikes the Pentagon building and a fourth crashes into an empty field in Somerset County in rural Pennsylvania.

United Flight 93 leaving from New Jersey got a late start that day and left 25 minutes later than expected for its San Francisco destination.  The hijackers did not get control of the plane until it was over Ohio.  Gaining control of the cockpit, they turn the plane around and have its trajectory pointed toward Washington DC and the suspected target, the Capitol building.

Passengers and crew get word of the other terrorist attacks and decide to make an attempt to take the plane back.  At 10:03am, the plane crashes, short of its target by 18 minutes flight time.

Impression

Coming back from visiting family in Pennsylvania, traveling along Interstate 76, we see a sign, Flight 93 Memorial next exit.   It just so happens that this is Memorial Day weekend.  We must go.  We will go.

I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing on that day.

Nothing will prepare you for visiting this memorial.

Outside you see the large, white monolithic walls of the Visitor's Center.   To the right, there is a black walkway.  This walkway represents the flight path United 93 took.

Walkway to main entrance

markers that show the flight and time of each plane involved

the back path shows the flight path of United 93

You walk the pathway, which has the timeline of all the planes, through the white walls in front of you.  Looking straight ahead is an overlook that has a view of the field and a large rock in the distance that denotes the crash and debris location.

overlook of the field and the tree line in the distance is where the stone marker resides

If you look back to your left from the main path, you'll find the entrance to the Visitor's Center.

Walking in, the lighting is low and items are highlighted with spotlights.

The mood is somber and you can physically feel the sadness.  We did not expect to, nor were we prepared for just how hard this would be.

The memorial is sectioned off, with time lines, news replays and recordings of passengers calling loved ones.

After seeing all this and hearing them again, all the emotions come flooding back.  From that day, for those that saw something wrong and tried to make it right.  We will never know the total number of lives that the 33 passengers and 7 crew members saved that day when they attempted to take the plane back from the terrorists.

I tried to hold my emotions back, but just couldn't.  Many couldn't.

The section above shows a wall of portraits of the passengers and crew from United Flight 93.

Crew
Captain Jason Dahl
First Officer Leroy Homer

Flight Attendants
Lorraine Bay
Sandy Bradshaw
Wanda Green
CeeCee Lyles
Deborah Welsh

Passengers
Christian Adams
Todd Beamer
Alan Beaven
Mark Bingham
Deora Bodley
Marion Britton
Thomas Burnett, Jr.
William Cashman
Georgine Corrigan
Patricia Cushing
Joseph Deluca
PatrickDriscoll
Edward Felt
Jane Folger
Colleen Fraser
Andrew Garcia
Jeremy Glick
Kristin Gould
Lauren Grandcolas + Unborn Child
Donald Greene
Linda Gronlund
Richard Guadagno
Toshiya Kuge
Hilda Marcin
Waleska Martinez
Nicole Miller
Louis Nacke II
Donald Peterson
Jean Peterson
Mark Rothenberg
Christine Snyder
John Talignani
Honor Wainio

Toward the exit of the park, there is the Tower of Voices.

This tower is 93 feet high and when all the chimes are completed, 40 will sing in unison when the wind blows.

Memorial Day is a holiday where we honor those who gave all to protect the freedoms of this country and those that willingly put their lives in harms way to protect others from threats.  Believe me when we say that we honor those brave souls that gave the ultimate sacrifice.   Sometimes, though, ordinary people are thrust into an extraordinary situation.  United Flight 93 had something the other planes didn't have - knowledge of what had preceded them.

With this knowledge, those 40 had a tough decision thrust upon them.  They chose to put themselves in harms way to try and take back control of the plane and save hundreds, if not potentially thousands, of lives.

In my mind, they are all American heroes and will be in our thoughts and prayers along with the brave soldiers on this and every subsequent Memorial Day.

At Visual Ohio, our purpose is to showcase interesting people, places and things in our great state.  However, there are some things that transcend state lines and we think this article is one of those.

The Red Carnation - William McKinley Memorial and Museum

Written: Danielle and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography:  Andrew Livelsberger

McKinley Memorial

Background:
William McKinley was the 25th President of the United States from March 4, 1897 until September 1901 when he was assassinated.  He kept America on the gold standard and fought to protect american industrial interests.  He successfully lead America to victory in the Spanish-American War.

His memorial and the adjacent museum outline his contribution to the American nation.

Impression:June  6, 1905 saw construction begin on the McKinley Memorial site.  It would be completed September 1907.  Detailed information about the timeline of the memorial can be found at the McKinley Museum website.

It is a wonderful site to see in person.  The 100+ steps to the top are easily navigated with plateaus to rest if need be and an elevator and ADA accessibility are provided.  There were many people there enjoying the park and using the steps to exercise.

Inside the memorial are laid to rest President McKinley and First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley and family.

The McKinley Museum just off to the side of the memorial is a great place for family to go and learn about Stark county history, science, and McKinley's legacy.

Discovery World area shows nature, past and present including a machine that generates tornadoes and other fascinating scientific phenomenon like phosphorescent paint that keeps your shadow on the wall even after you leave the area!

Create a tornado exhibit in Discovery World

Robotic Dinosaurs in Discovery World

The Street of Shops is a look into the past, when we still relied on blacksmiths and general stores.  The area has multiple levels to explore.

The McKinley gallery showcases items from the McKinley campaign and White House with an animatronic William and Ida McKinley explaining different points in his presidency.

Madison County Veteran's War Memorial

I stumbled across this war memorial on a trip going west of Columbus.

This is one of the more visually striking memorials I have seen.  The statue of the soldier, placing his hand on a helmet fixed atop a rifle just seems to give you that sense of loss and sacrifice that war imposes upon us all.  

This is one of the most detailed memorials that I have ever seen.  It spans from pre-Civil War to War on Terror.

The Historical Marker DataBase has a detailed listing of all those represented as well as all the wording and GPS coordinates of the memorial for those interested.

Madison County should be very proud of this memorial and I for one am glad that I happened across it and am able to share it's beauty and message with all of you.