NewsRadio 1020 KDKA Editorial: 9/11
On Tuesday - September 11th – 2001 –
There were seven crew members and 33 passengers –
On a United Airlines flight from Newark to San Francisco.
There were also four terrorists.
By the time the hijackers took control of Flight 93 –
Those on board knew there was a bigger problem.
Planes had crashed into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.
The passengers and crew made a fateful decision –
And fought back –
Forcing the hijackers to crash in a field –
Just outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania –
Instead of the US Capitol building.
This past Thursday –
The Visitor Center at the Flight 93 National Memorial was finally dedicated.
Its exhibits describe events leading to the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
There are mementos – artifacts – biographies –
Even some voicemail messages to loved ones.
It's a powerful testament –
To the forty men and women –
Who decided not to go down without a fight.
The world has changed greatly in the past fourteen years.
Their example of courage – and selflessness – has not.