Visitors gather at Flight 93 Memorial Chapel to mark anniversary of 9/11 attacks
Sep. 11—FRIEDENS, Pa. — Surrounded by memorials and somber remembrances of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, visitors to the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel participated in an intimate ceremony on Sunday, the 21st anniversary of that fateful day.
"We just want to honor the heroes," organizer Connie Hay said.
The nearly two- hour event did just that.
Starting around 10 a.m., the chapel visitors rung the bell outside as the names of each of the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 were read.
Also read were the names of two Shanksville volunteer firefighters, Chris "Wally" Walker and Merle "Rick" Flick, who responded to the plane crash site 21 years ago and died in 2019.
The first responders' families were in attendance and took turns ringing the bell in honor of their late loved ones.
"It's just something they should be honored for," Walker's wife, Mishelle, said.
Flick's daughter, Malissa Brant, agreed.
Mishelle Walker has attended chapel ceremonies for years, but Sunday was the first time for Brant and her mother, Martha.
The women were appreciative of the distinction for their family members and Martha Flick described the event as a meaningful experience.
"This is a very, very nice service," Mishelle Walker said.
Throughout the ceremony, hymns were sung, along with the "Star Spangled Banner." Guest speaker Glenn Kashurba addressed the crowd and Carol Love shared the history of how the space became the Flight 93 Memorial Chapel.
She said the Rev. Alphonse Mascherino left the Roman Catholic Church to start the site in honor of the passengers of Flight 93.
He stumbled upon the closed building when traveling from Somerset following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and saw a for-sale sign in the yard.
Through his own means, Mascherino purchased and rebuilt the interior of the building, which had been used as a seed barn for years.
He also received help from 84 Lumber, where he often bought supplies.
As she spoke to the crowd, Love pointed to various points of interest in the chapel, such as the metal sculpture that hangs above the podium and was designed by Mascherino.
The piece of art symbolizes the plane crashing into the ground and a candle in the center represents the "Light of Freedom" — which the sculpture is named — that arose after.
Other items include a piece of the airplane and quilted tapestries representing forms of freedom that hang on the walls.
In addition to these artifacts, there's also a meditation room that includes the pictures of the 40 passengers and short biographies.
Volunteer Paul Argert said he often gives tours of the chapel and this area when people stop by.
He maintains the grounds and has done so for 11 years.
"I want to try to help the chapel keep going," he said.
The service closed with Melissa Salyers singing "God Bless the USA" and a closing prayer from the Rev. Art Gotjen.
