Flight 93 National Memorial

Flight 93 National Memorial Visitors Center, as seen from the walkway to the impact site

Monday was a day to play Pennsylvania tourist.  Off we headed to the Flight 93 National Memorial near Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

This is the second time I have visited the crash site for United Flight 93, the fourth of the hijacked planes on 9-11.  The first time would have been a few months or so after 9-11, when the makeshift "memorial" looked like this:

Now, it's a large, tasteful, respectful memorial complex.  And it is a war memorial, as the battle of United 93 was the first skirmish in the War on Terror.  

The black walkway marks the flight path of United Flight 93 as it traversed a reclaimed strip mine near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

The Visitors Center houses exhibits about 9-11 in general and Flight 93 in particular.

This is the education center building (and plumbed bathrooms, note importantly) of the Visitor Center complex.

When you walk into the Visitor Center complex, you can walk along the flight path to the viewpoint of the impact site.

And, from here, view the impact site.

At a distance:

But you also can walk down closer to the impact center along a 0.7 mile trail for a closer look.

What you see first is the Wall of Names:

And some of the names of those who died on Flight 93 are very memorable even 17 years after the fact:

And:

And:

Again, the black walkway marked the flight path.  The Visitor Center is visible on the hill behind the Wall of Names:

And forward to the actual impact site.

Through the gate you can see the 17-ton boulder that marks the actual spot where the nose of Flight 93 hit the loose soil of this reclaimed strip mine.

Because the remains of those who were on board are somewhere in the field ahead, the area beyond this point is not accessible to the general public.  This is every bit a battlefield as Gettysburg.

People still leave mementos behind:

This is the view of the Visitors Center from the "Visitors Shelter" area of the Memorial Plaza.

Pictures of the deceased:

The flight path over the northeastern United States.

After walking around the site, it was time to enjoy the air-conditioned comfort of the Visitors Center:

Finally, a look at the "Tower of Voices."

It is still under construction and set to open on 9-11, 2018.  It's been 17 years and the wound is still too open for me to have engaged in my usual vacation irreverence as I tour this national memorial.