Visitors attend 'first view' of a sacred space at Flight 93 National Memorial

SHANKSVILLE —Two days before the 22nd commemoration of Sept. 11, 2001, a "first view" site opened to all who visit Flight 93 National Memorial Park in Somerset County, Pa.

The "first view" is a sacred space for family members of Flight 93 crew and passengers who died while taking on highjacking terrorists in the sky near the tight-knit town of Shanksville on Sept. 11, 2001. They arrived by bus and gathered on a grassy knoll above the crash site. It was a few days later, but the unforgettable strong smell of jet fuel was in the air. The feeling of sadness and loss ran deep. Tears flowed. It was there on that grassy knoll where out of travesty, friendships and partnerships formed and where an idea evolved into today's reality of Flight 93 National Memorial.

The families continue to meet often on what is known as the Western Overlook year after year on the anniversary of Sept. 11 and the conversation always included their respect and awe of how the sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers and friends in that plane took such heroic actions that morning. Through their actions hope and pride sprung forth for many Americans during that dark time.

Now visitors to the national memorial can stand and feel the reverence and the quiet on that sacred spot.

The Friends of Flight 93 raised the funds to create the Western Overlook to provide a shared experience for visitors. On Saturday, the nonprofit turned the site over to the National Park Service during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the site.

The walk to that site crosses a steep hill with a switchback path of soft gravel surrounded by wildflowers and tall grasses. To reach it, one must pass the memorial plaza's entrance past the wall of names. The overlook is where the plane shrieked past as it fell from the sky along a flight trajectory that is now the Wall of Names. Below the overlook sits a large rock boulder designating the spot where Flight 93 crashed into the land. Everyone on board perished.

On that day, 22 years ago, Flight 93 was purported to be heading to the nation's capitol to be used as a weapon much like a short time prior two airplanes had been flown into New York City's Twin Towers and another smashed into the Pentagon in nearby Arlington, Va.

Now, for the first time, on Saturday, visitors heard memories and felt the heart-wrenching sadness of the family members in that sacred place and became part of a dedication ceremony there.

The Friends of Flight 93 raised the money to provide the overlook for generations to come and on Saturday turned it over to the National Park Service with the slice of a ribbon by a pair of huge scissors held in Ken Nacke's hands.

Saturday held even more significance. It would have been Louis "Joey" Nacke II's 64th birthday. His voice can be heard from Flight 93 cockpit's black box saying, "Get them," showing he got inside.

His younger brother Ken Nacke's voice broke when he spoke about his brother at the dedication.

"I was driven to come here," he said. That persistence placed him in his vehicle for the three-hour drive from Baltimore, Md., numerous times over the past 22 years. "I just feel that loss," Nacke told the crowd of 150 people who were part of the Heroes Walk of 2023. The group raised funds through sponsorship for the Friends of Flight 93 for their projects.

It was hard, Nacke said. "It is hard for me today."

His love and respect for his older sibling showed through with every word and every syllable caught in his throat as he fought tears.

"This is the first place I got to say goodbye," Nacke said about how the Western Overlook's significance to him and the other family members of those who bravely and unselfishly gave their lives that morning.

Raising the funds

"To preserve the historical significance of this area, we engaged landscape architects and specialists to design and execute this part of the living memorial," said Courtney Claycomb, communications and special events coordinator, Friends of Flight 93.

Several family members stepped up to help raise funds for what they called a "special" project.

"Ten families' members trained for months and months to run in the New York Marathon," said Donna Gibson, executive director of Friends of Flight 93.

"And for their effort they raised one-third of the funds we used to be able to make this place possible," she said. "That is how important this space is."

Gibson acknowledged and spoke of gratitude for the support by Forbes Trail Brewery, across from the memorial, which conducted a fundraiser for the project, and Fed Ex Ground also contributed.

"We established it would have cost over half a million dollars to complete, but with the help of the 333rd Co. Army National Reserve we were able to hold the spending to $80,000 to $90,000 for this project," Gibson told the crowd at the Western Overlook.

The 2023 Heroes’ Walk that was part of the ceremony Saturday also raised awareness about the Memorial Groves at Flight 93 National Memorial. The Memorial Groves are 40 groves of 40 trees representing the 40 passengers and crew members aboard Flight 93. Visitors primarily experience the Memorial Groves from the Allée Walk, which runs from the Visitor Center Complex and Memorial Plaza, she said.

Funds provided by the public help preserve and maintain these cultural resources and the landscape surrounding them, Gibson said.

All proceeds from the annual walk will support Memorial Groves. To make donations to the Memorial Groves, visit www.Flight93Friends.org/donate.

Established in 2009, the Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial is the official nonprofit partner of the National Park Service. The nonprofit's mission is to honor the sacrifice and courage of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 by supporting the memorial through raised funds and events, according to Clayburn.

Leave something behind

Everyone there was given a long-stem carnation, colors pink, purple, yellow and red. At the end of the dedication, as they left the overlook at its entrance they placed their flowers and other personal items on a stack of hay bales among the pots of colorful flowers there.

Ken Nacke said when he first arrived at the crash site he was requested by his parents to bring back a plant "to say we are here."

He told the crowd on top of the former grassy knoll where he had stood so many times to "leave something behind when you walk out. This is a grassroots national memorial. It is for the people. They (the crew and passengers of Flight 93) gave their lives so we can continue to live like it was Sept. 10, 2001. That is how important this place is."

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Leaving something behind at ribbon cutting at Flight 93 'first view'