National Park Service Pledges Support for National Memorial Commemorating Flight 93 Crash Site
For Immediate Release: July 09, 2002

Washington, D.C. -- National Park Service (NPS) Special Assistant P. Daniel Smith testified on behalf of the agency and the Interior Department today in support of H.R. 3917, a bill commemorating the passengers and crew of Flight 93, who, on September 11, 2001, courageously gave their lives to thwart a planned attack on the Nation's capital.

In addition to establishing a national memorial at the crash site in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, HR. 3917 would create a Flight 93 Advisory Commission, coordinated and facilitated by the Secretary of the Interior, to provide technical and financial assistance to the Flight 93 Task Force, and to administer a Flight 93 memorial as a unit of the National Park System. The Flight 93 Task Force is a grassroots organization formed by people concerned about the future of the crash site, including grieving families of the passengers and crew, the people of the region who are the current stewards of the site and a broad spectrum of citizens across the United States.

"Establishing a permanent memorial would serve as a meaningful way to honor those who sacrificed their lives on September 11th and would provide an appropriately respectful setting for family members and other visitors," said Smith. "As we testified earlier this year on another memorial bill, in the case of enormous national tragedies, we have found that commemoration seems most appropriate at the site of the tragedy itself. The Oklahoma City National Memorial would not have nearly the power it has if it had been constructed anywhere else but at the site of the Murrah Building."

Numerous NPS professional staff have visited the Flight 93 site over the past ten months to understand this special place and its changes over time. These employees have met with local people including landowners, the local historical society, volunteers, the Mayor of Shanksville, county commissioners, rescue workers, and others, to provide advice and technical assistance on site security and in the preservation and curation of artifacts left by visitors at the site. NPS employees have facilitated a series of public meetings regarding the future of the site. People directly involved with the creation of the Oklahoma City National Memorial have also provided assistance to the local people and officials.

"The National Park Service has been privileged to help and listen to family members, the community of Shanksville and so many Americans as they reach toward the right way to commemorate this critical moment in American history," said Northeast Regional Director Marie Rust. Smith said that the events of September 11th are so clearly important to contemporary America that some kind of national recognition is appropriate now, though normally a unit of the National Park System is not created until a sufficient interval of time has passed allowing for historical judgment.

"It is appropriate that the crash site of Flight 93 be designated as a national memorial and that the Service continue to participate in a sensitive process with the public and the affected parties to recommend the appropriate treatment of the site," said Smith. "The National Park Service would like to support the families, the public and the community while they develop their vision to achieve this goal."

Smith commended Congress for its support in sponsoring legislation recognizing the need for a special process to determine how best to treat the site, whether as a preserved landscape, a designed memorial structure, or in some other appropriate manner. He said that most importantly, the legislation, with special sensitivity and insight, provides time for listening and time to allow a consensus to develop, with an appropriate role for the family members of the flight and crew, for the public, the community, and the Secretary of the Interior.

He also said the NPS was pleased that the legislation suggests the commission have authority to raise funds. "We believe many Americans will want to have an active part in the fundraising process, and recommend that the authorization for fundraising be explicit in the legislation."

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