What happened with Flight 93 has a particular character within the tragic events of September 9, 2001. While the shock of a terrorist attack plunged the nation into an immediate and painful stupor, the passengers on this plane became heroes by preventing more devastating consequences.
United Airlines Flight 93 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Newark International Airport in New Jersey to San Francisco International Airport in California. The plane was hijacked by four al-Qaeda terrorists on board, as part of the September 11 attacks. It crashed into a field in Pennsylvania, following an attempt by the passengers and crew to regain control of the plane.
Recovered evidence revealed that the terrorists’ intended target was most likely the United States Capitol Building. Flight 93 crashed only 20 minutes flying-time from Washington, D.C.
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Because of the quick and determined actions of the passengers and crew, Flight 93 was the only one of the four hijacked aircraft that failed to reach the terrorists’ intended target that day. The passengers and crew showed unity, courage, and defiance in the face of adversity.
Twenty years after those tragic events, New Jersey continues to honor the memory of the courageous crew and passengers that were able to prevent further damage to the country.
Heroes of Flight 93
These were the heroic Newjerseans involved in the heroic act of sabotaging the terrorist plans by sacrificing their lives:
First Officer LeRoy Homer, 36 United Airlines Pilot from Marlton.
Lorraine G. Bay, 58. United Airlines Flight Attendant from East Windsor.
Wanda Anita Green, 49. United Airlines Flight Attendant from Linden.
Todd M. Beamer, 32. Account Manager from Cranbury.
William Joseph Cashman, 60. Ironworker from West New York.
Patricia Cushing, 69. Retired Service Representative from Bayonne.
Joseph DeLuca, 52. Business Systems Specialist from Succasunna.
Patrick Joseph Driscoll, 70. Retired Executive Director of Software Development from Manalapan.
Edward Porter Felt, 41. Computer Engineer and Technology Director from Matawan.
Jane C. Folger, 73. Retired Bank Officer from Bayonne.
Colleen L. Fraser, 51. Progressive Center for Independent Living Executive Director from Elizabeth.
Jeremy Logan Glick, 31. Sales Manager from Hewitt.
Richard J. Guadagno, 38. Project Manager from Trenton.
Hilda Marcin, 79. Retired Bookkeeper and Teacher’s Aide from Mount Olive.
Waleska Martinez, 37. Automation Specialist from Jersey City.
Donald Arthur Peterson, 66. Continental Electric Company retired President from Spring Lake.
Jean Hoadley Peterson, 55. Retired Registered Nurse from Spring Lake.
Mark David Rothenberg, 52. MDR Global Resources owner from Scotch Plains.
As published by flight93friends.org, Alan Michael Hantman, the 10th Architect of the Capitol visited the Flight 93 National Memorial in 2012 to express his gratitude to those passengers and crew. He placed a small model of the Statue of Freedom from his Capitol office in the Memorial Plaza wall and also left this letter:
“This model of the Statue of Freedom that stands atop the Dome of the United States Capitol Building is left with deep respect at the final resting place of the heroes of Flight 93.Those who sacrificed their lives here on September 11, 2001 saved mine, and those of many thousands of others, at the U.S. Capitol Building, as well as that historic symbol of our democracy known around the world.”
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