Nation Prepares To Honor 9/11 Victims On 9th Anniversary Of Attacks

People nationwide are heading to the Somerset County site where Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 200, to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks.

Former first lady Laura Bush will speak at a National Park Service fundraiser in Pittsburgh on Friday, a day before joining Michelle Obama in Shanksville to remember the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

National Coverage: 9/11/01 Anniversary Special Section

Saturday's memorial will be similar to past events in a couple of ways. As has become tradition, loved ones will ready the victims' names and bells will toll at 10:03 a.m., the time the plane crashed.

Security will be tight, and because construction is under way at the permanent 9/11 memorial in Stoneycreek Township, this year's memorial will be held at the Western Overlook area, and no backpacks, coolers or folding chairs are permitted.

"This is entirely different. And this is the first time we had the White House participate in the public program. Previously, if you remember, we did have the president visit, however it was only a visit with families at the crash site," said Keith Newlin of the National Park Service.

A crowd of up to 5,000 is expected to honor the victims and hear comments from Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Bush. People who are heading to the memorial are advised to leave early and should arrive no later than 7 a.m. Visitors can also bring blankets and cameras, but everything else should stay at home.

Drivers should have no problems finding their way -- just follow the white and blue sign to park their vehicles, then shuttle buses will take visitors through the site. At the site, visitors must pass through security screening.

The actual service begins at 9:30 a.m. and will end at approximately 11 a.m.

Bush's appearance is part of a wider effort to raise money for the memorial to the 40 passengers and crew who died after they fought back against their hijackers.

Just $40 million of the $58 million needed for the memorial has been raised, and the first phase of the project is scheduled to be dedicated in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks next year.

A memorial plaza is under construction in the rolling hills, part of a long-awaited 2,200-acre national park that will eventually honor the victims. The finished memorial will include a 93-foot tower at the entrance with wind chimes for each of the victims and a grove of trees.

The project's planners said they hope Bush's and Obama's efforts help bring attention and much-needed cash to the project.

"In a world where there's so much politics, one thing we have always found is that our story and our efforts resonate across the board. And this is just one more indication of that," said Gordon Felt, the president of the Families of Flight 93, whose brother died aboard the flight.

Patrick White, whose cousin, Louis "Joey" Nacke II, died in the crash, called donating to the memorial "a patriotic thing to do."

"This is America's memorial, certainly primarily to the 40 heroes of Flight 93, but indirectly to the events of the day as well," he said.

More than 1.2 million people have visited the temporary memorial since the crash. Planners predict that about 250,000 people will visit the permanent memorial each year.

The park foundation has recently stepped up its efforts to raise money, including a new public service campaign encouraging people to make a $10 donation by texting the word MEMORIAL to 90999, or to contribute online at www.honorflight93.org.

Flight 93 was en route from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco when hijackers seized control and diverted it toward Washington, D.C., with the likely goal of crashing it into the White House or Capitol.

But the passengers fought back, and the official 9/11 Commission report said the hijackers crashed the plane as passengers tried to wrest control of the cockpit.

It's imperative to honor the victims, said David Beamer, whose son Todd was believed to have led the revolt with the words "Let's roll." He said some textbooks only casually reference Flight 93 as the fourth plane to crash on Sept. 11, with no details.

"That's not sufficient," Beamer said.

Across the nation, memorial services are planned to mark the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people in New York City, the Pentagon and Shanksville combined.

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