Flight 93 Families Bury Remains

(NEWSER) - Colin Powell today honored the "gallant heroes" of United Flight 93 who fought back against their hijackers 8 years ago today. At a ceremony in Shanksville, Pa., where the plane went down, he likened them to the "citizen soldiers" who have fought for the US since its inception. "They refused to let it just happen," he said. Bells tolled for the 40 passengers and crew who were killed, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. More»

Groups battle landowner for control of Pa. crash site

(NEWSER) - Families seeking a permanent memorial for Flight 93 victims are asking President Bush to seize the land where the hijacked plane went down on Sept. 11, the Washington Post reports. An advocacy group initially tried to buy the land, but ran into conflict with the owner. "What was left was our loved ones; it's a cemetery for us," said one man who lost his brother in the crash. "We want to make sure it's not just being tramped across." More»

Obamas pay respects in Shanksville

(NEWSER) - President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, placed a wreath at the Flight 93 National Memorial today, arriving at the site to pay respects to the 40 passengers and crew who died a decade ago. The Obamas visited the Wall of Names. Each of the 40 marble slabs is inscribed with the name of someone killed in the crash of United Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001. More»

'Probably a terrorist bomb,' narrates videographer Dave Berkebile

(NEWSER) - A massive cloud of smoke is all that remains in the sky of United Flight 93 in a video shot by a Pennsylvania resident seconds after the plane crashed on 9/11. The film has finally been released publicly 10 years after the 42 people on board went down in a field in Shanksville. “This is the remains of an airplane crash over on Lambertsville Road,” Berlin resident Dave Berkebile calmly narrates as he films the site after impact. “Probably a terrorist bomb on board that blew up.” The crash “shook the heck out of the house. A great, big, black cloud just mushroomed right up into the air," adds Berkebile, who died earlier this year. "I wonder if there is anything left of Lambertsville." More»

Services in short supply ahead of new memorial's opening

(NEWSER) - Residents near where Flight 93 crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania once feared that souvenir hawkers and fast-food entrepreneurs would try to cash in on the 9/11 memorial. The opposite has been the case, the Wall Street Journal finds. The memorial, which opens next month, is expected to draw nearly a quarter of a million visitors a year, but the area is underserved by businesses, meaning travelers will have a hard time finding a meal or a place to stay anywhere near the site—especially if they come by the busload. More»