Pa. locals embrace Flight 93 families after 2001 terror attacks united them in tragedy

Associated Press

Last update: November 6, 2009 - 2:01 AM

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. - When United Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001 in the rolling fields of Shanksville, Pa., the tragedy forever bound local residents with relatives of the flight's 40 passengers and crew members.

Ground will be broken Saturday on a $58 million permanent memorial to the victims, a 93-foot tower with 40 wind chimes set on 2,200 acres surrounding the crash site.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who helped broker land agreements for the project, says the families of the victims of Flight 93 and the residents of Shanksville have become "one community."

Helping create that community are the area's Flight 93 Ambassadors, local volunteers who help more than 130,000 people who visit the site every year.

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