When people speak of 9/11, many think of the tragedy in the twin towers in New York City; some may remember those who lost their lives at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; however, we felt the sting of that day quite close to home here in Pennsylvania in a peaceful field just a little over two hours away from where we live. On that same day, 40 passengers and crew lost their lives when they bravely fought back to take control of the plane, thus thwarting a loss of life at the U.S. Capital similar to the attacks at the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon.
For current students, their memory only exists in yearly anniversary specials on the History Channel, in classroom discussions in American History, or from stories shared by grownups, but for a busload filled with LCCTC students, the history of 9/11 became so much more.
As these students traveled to Shanksville, PA, about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh, they reflected on the lessons delivered by their English teacher, Mrs. Gettings.
Here are the reflections from our 40 LCCTC Students and their teachers:
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It has been my dream to share the Flight 93 Memorial with our LCCTC students. To witness their display of respectfulness at the Flight 93 Memorial took my breath away! Thinking of the heroes who sacrificed their lives to save thousands of others brings me to tears.
May they rest in peace and glory.~ Mrs. Julie Gettings
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Flight 93 Memorial was very nice and respectful. 9/11 was a horrible day and the memorial was a great way to explain it. Never Forget! God Bless. ~Kaelyn Blakley
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The memorial made me cry, rest in peace.~ Kayla Grannis
The Flight 93 Memorial trip was emotional. I was in awe over watching our students engaged in the exhibits at the Visitor's Center. I am appreciative of the opportunity that was provided to our young men and women. ~ Ms. Renea Young
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Flight 93 was very interesting. We were able to remember those we lost and those we love. May they rest in peace and may we never forget all our heroes. ~Ciera P.
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Flight 93 was nice and sad at some parts. I hope to go home and share all the pictures with my friends and family. ~Harlee L.
Flight 93 was very sad, it was like I was there. When I listened to the phone calls, I felt very sorry for the crew and passengers. God Bless them. ~Brittany Bove
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Flight 93 was beautiful, and I feel really sad for the victims who lost their loved ones that day. God Bless. ~Mindy Michaels
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I was sad. ~Audrey Gallentine
It was a good experience. It was sad, but I am thankful I went. ~India Cunnigham
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The visitor's Center and Memorial was amazing, very breathtaking, and emotional. God Bless those 40 brave passengers. ~Cassie Evans
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Flight 93 was a great experience. I enjoyed it, and it was very emotional. I almost cried a few times. Thank you for giving us this opportunity. I respect the brave people who gave their lives that day very much. ~Chera Dudash
The Flight 93 Memorial was really nice. I loved it. This was the first time I visited this memorial. When I heard the phone calls, I almost wanted to cry because they were very touching. ~Tatum Lordi
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Flight 93 was really nice. I loved the pictures and I watched the video. I took pictures myself and had a great time. ~Crystal Holmes
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Flight 93 was really nice. Hearing those phone calls made me cry, and the same with seeing the pictures. ~Tiffany Hoon
Flight 93 was great! I loved how they got the voices and what they were saying. ~Casity Robson
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Flight 93 was a great place and was very interesting. There were a lot of things found from the people on the plane. ~Cameron Trott
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Flight 93 was awesome. They had a nice set up of everything that happened. ~Alexis Cummins
Flight 93 was very important to me, going there made me realize a lot. Thank you Mrs. Gettings, this was an honor to go and enjoy. ~Sierria Jones
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Flight 93 was a great experience for me. People sacrificed their lives just to stop the terrorist from killing thousands of people. This was trip was a great honor to attend. ~Alyssa Graham
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Flight 93 was nice and respectful. ~Grace Patrick
Flight 93 was sad. ~Waddell Vogan
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Flight 93 was very sad, but nice at the same time. ~Tyler Mellott
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Flight 93 was sad. ~Jake Brown
Flight 93 was sad and was a nice memorial. ~Matt Fuller
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Flight 93 was a sad day because people lost their lives. ~ Ed Barr
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Flight 93 was a great place to learn and visit the memorial. ~Doug Haag
Flight 93 was sad. ~Scott Burkes
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Flight 93 was a good and a new experience that I had. ~David Kane
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I thought it was very cool, but also sad. Rest in peace Flight 93. ~Corey Gumpp
It was really sad listening on the phones. It was the last time anyone heard from the brave men and women from Flight 93, and I I felt like I was there. ~David Weston.
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I thought it was very cool, and thank you for your service. ~ Robert Kelly
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I liked the wall with all the names. I have been there 5 times to see it. ~Miguel Miller
My experience was one of the very best in a long time. ~Mark Seamans
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I will remember the heroes who did this to save others. Amen. ~Nathan Kreible
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I was interesting. ~Travis Kelly
It was cool, I liked it a lot. ~Joey Gasser
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It was a very interesting and exciting experience. Hopefully their spirits are okay.~Shawn Callahan
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I thought the Flight 93 Memorial was a good experience for the 5th time. ~Christian Jackson
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It was very sad hearing the voice messages.~ Thomas Gennock
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Flight 93 heroes saved many people (Washington D. C.). It was sad to see the things saved from the wreckage. ~Aaron Shelok
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The Flight 93 Memorial was overwhelming in many ways. Seeing the photos of the passengers as well as the videos of news broadcasts from September 11th took me back to that day in my memory. The shock, the fear, the tragedy of it all is burned into my mind forever. Amidst all of those feelings is the awe of knowing that those forty heroes of Flight 93 were so incredibly brave and ultimately saved hundreds of lives. True American Heroes… May they never be forgotten. ~ Mrs. Melissa Lyons
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The Flight 93 Memorial Field Trip was an opportunity I am thankful for and an experience I will never forget. I really enjoyed seeing all of the artifacts on display and hearing the personal stories that were incorporated into the memorial. What a perfect way to remember those 40 passengers who sacrificed their lives for others on September 11, 2001. ~Miss DeSimone
