19th anniversary of 9/11 marked at Flight 93 memorial with visits by Trump, Biden

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It was quiet.

A line of geese honked overhead as United Flight 93 Capt. Jason Dahl's name was read.

A police horse neighed in the distance as passenger Colleen Fraser was remembered.

The silence was noticeable throughout the 19th annual remembrance ceremony for the 40 passengers and crewmembers on the airplane when it crashed in Somerset County on Sept. 11, 2001. The only music came when bagpiper Marissa Yee, playing "Amazing Grace," led family members to the crash site at the conclusion of the service, its mournful tones fading as she walked farther from the crowd.

Friday's event was shortened from past years and closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic. A few hundred chairs were spaced 6 feet apart in a grassy area in Memorial Plaza. The national memorial in Stonycreek Township opened after the ceremony and parking lots were full by mid-afternoon. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden visited the Wall of Names in the afternoon and met with a few families of those on Flight 93.

President Trump remembered the 40 passengers and crew members as "intrepid heroes" in an address during the ceremony.

"On that September morning when America was under attack, the battle turned toward the skies above this field," he said.

The passengers and crew are credited with wresting control of the airplane away from terrorists and crashing it before reaching an intended target in Washington, D.C.

"Their momentous deeds will outlive us all," Trump said.

The ceremony lasted about an hour, about 30 minutes shorter than previous years. Family members of those aboard the plane in years past have read their loved ones' name, followed by the ringing of the Bells of Remembrance. Instead, MaryJane Hartman, retired park chief of interpretation, read all of the names while the bells were rung by retired FBI agents Andrea Dammann and Roy Cavan. Family members who were present stood when their loved one's name was read.

The ceremony was livestreamed by EarthCam.

Biden laid a wreath at the name of First Officer Leroy Homer and chatted with family members of Homer, Lorraine Bay and Louis Nacke.

"It's hard to underestimate the willingness of decent people to literally ... lay down their lives," Biden said. "When you think about what happened, it's one thing to react when you're in a situation where you're confronted with something and you have to act immediately. It's another thing to consciously know that what you're about to do is likely to cost you your life."

Afterward, he stopped at Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department, according to pool reports.

Ed Root, cousin of flight attendant Lorraine Bay, recalled the past 19 years and how the memorial has grown, as have the relationships with those who also had loved ones on the plane.

"It has been 19 years, but sometimes it feels like yesterday," he said. "The wounds never truly close completely."

It is important to remember their heroic actions, borne out of knowledge and time -- "not a lot, but enough," said Root, vice president of the Families of Flight 93.

"They were unable to save themselves, but they knew that unless they acted, many more would die," he said. "It's been 19 years -- a lifetime for some, but a twinkling of an eye in the realm of history."

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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