Flight 93 Memorial Marks 25 Years Since Sept. 11 Attacks

Families, officials and visitors assembled at the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Friday for a morning observance marking 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks, honouring the passengers and crew killed aboard United Airlines Flight 93.

Ahead of the ceremony, visitors laid flowers and posed for photographs at the Wall of Names, which consists of 40 polished marble panels, each bearing the name of a passenger or crew member.

Flight 93 had been bound for the U.S. Capitol when those aboard fought back against the hijackers, bringing the aircraft down in an empty field in Somerset County. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks that day.

The observance followed the sequence of the attacks, with bells tolling at 8:46 a.m., 9:03 a.m. and 9:37 a.m. to mark the moments when planes struck the World Trade Center's North and South towers and the Pentagon. Narration played during the ceremony guided attendees through moments of silence for the victims of American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175 and those inside the towers.

Speaking in a prayer, Rabbi James Gibson, chair of the Community Relations Council at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, said the passengers had decided that something mattered more than being terrified of terrorists. He said they consciously and decisively resisted and mastered their fear, standing on a narrow bridge and refusing to give in, though they knew their lives were forfeit.

Musicians performed during the tribute, and attendees observed the moments of silence with the memorial in the background.