SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (AP) – The 40 passengers and crew who died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are to be honored in a new way during the 13th anniversary ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial.
A Congressional Gold Medal to them will be presented Thursday as part of the ceremony. Bells will ring and the names of the victims will be read at 10:03 a.m., the moment the airliner crashed in Pennsylvania as passengers fought with hijackers for control of the jet.
Thursday’s ceremony also comes as the National Park Service marks progress on a $17 million to $23 million project that includes a visitors’ center and learning center, which officials hope will boost the number of annual visitors to the memorial from 300,000 to more than 500,000.