Annual memorial service honors passengers and crew of Flight 93

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (WTAJ) — On Wednesday the nation took a moment to honor and learn more about those who lost their lives in the 9/11 terror attacks.

The Flight 93 National Memorial held its annual memorial service at 9:45 a.m. At that moment, everything stood still as the moments leading up to the crash were recalled.

The names of the 40 passengers and crew were called. The bells of remembrance chimed after each one. Some of the family members of the Flight 93 heroes said the names of their loved ones.

“It makes me feel proud you know. The fact that he fought back,” Christopher Wilson, the nephew of First Officer LeRoy Homer . Homer was the co-pilot of Flight 93.

10:03 a.m. will also be frozen in time forever. It’s the exact moment United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville. Christopher still remembers where he was on that day.

“I was 17. I was in sixth-period English class when the principal got on the PA and announced that a plane hit the World Trade Center. I remember asking my mom. “Was Uncle Leroy on that flight,?”She said yes. My first reaction was, I forgot that he was even a pilot,” Christopher said.

Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Matthew LeBlanc read the names of the 40 passengers and crew during the service. He also works as a Volunteer Ambassador for the Flight 93 National Memorial.

“I think it’s really important that people come visit the three sites, and understand what happened. Understand how on that day we didn’t know what was about to happen next. And we saw things we have never seen before and we hope to never see again. So go out there, visit three sites, and get to understand the story. Because it’s not just about buildings and airplanes, but it’s the people that were involved and the family members that were left behind,” LeBlanc said.

As the passengers and crew took a vote and decided to fight back, the Pennsylvania State Police Chaplain said they knew that they wouldn’t be going home. This would be their last flight.

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He left a message for everyone at the service.

“Today is the day. Tomorrow may never come,” Rev. Daniel Lawrence said.

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