SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (WJAC) — The latest (AP):
Vice President Mike Pence is crediting the crew and passengers who fought back against hijackers on 9/11 with protecting the U.S.
Pence spoke at the commemoration Wednesday of the hijacked Flight 93, which crashed in a Pennsylvania field, killing 40 passengers and crew.
The Flight 93 National Memorial marks the site near Shanksville where the plane went down at 10:03 a.m., after passengers fought back. Officials concluded the attackers had aimed the Boeing 757 toward Washington, D.C.
Pence says the memory of those killed in the crash is "carved into the hearts and memories of the American people."
The terrorists also flew two planes into the World Trade Center skyscrapers in New York and a fourth into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.
Watch the ceremony below:
-----------------------
Memorials for victims of Sept. 11 will take place in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania Wednesday morning.
Vice President Mike Pence will attend the September 11 Observance at Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Also speaking at the ceremony will be U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and representatives of the Families of Flight 93.
"We first ring the bells and read the names of the passenger and crew members, but at the very end of that ceremony we lay a ceremonial wreath in front of the wall of names and then we open the wooden gate," says Katie Cordek, a Flight 93 representative. "That gate is only opened on September 11, and just family members can walk out then to the boulder on the flight path."
Organizers are asking visitors to arrive at least 90 minutes prior to the program, which is set to begin at 9:45 a.m.
No backpacks or umbrellas are permitted. Signage and staff will direct visitors to parking areas. Accessible buses are available to accommodate wheelchairs. Shuttles will begin running at 6:15 a.m.
The event will be held rain or shine.
Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered all United States and Commonwealth flags on the Capitol Complex, at Commonwealth facilities and throughout the state lowered to half-staff at sunrise in honor of the Sept. 11 victims.
"May we never forget the men and women who died in the events of September 11, 2001," Wolf said. "Their ultimate sacrifice serves as an inspiration for all of us to understand the significance of our communities and the importance of valuing every life in them."
The flags are to remain at half-staff until sunset.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7y6iamqRfpbKvutKyo6%2BZnp6ubrTOp6arq12ptaZ5y6KtnqtdpLNuvMCsqp6ml5q%2FtHnCq5ywZZahtqi002ZwbGWcpMC1ec6nZKydoKl6cn0%3D