Remembering 9/11: Passengers And Crew Of Flight 93 Honored In Shanksville In Moving Ceremony

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) - Two decades later, we remember the 40 passengers and crew who lost their lives on United Flight 93 after crashing into an open field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

Those brave souls managed to stop four hijackers from heading toward the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. Several speakers spoke to a crowd filled with the loved ones of those who died that fateful day.

It was a solemn, but impactful observance at the Flight 93 memorial, as a member of "The President's Own" United States Marine Band, sang the Star-Spangled Banner to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice on September 11, 2001.

The names of the 40 passengers and crew members who died on United Flight 93 two decades ago, was read allowed by loved ones, followed by bells of remembrance.

Gordon Felt, lost his brother Edward Porter Felt that fateful day.

"Having lost a brother, I live with the grief that is deep, consuming, and always present," said Gordon Felt.

Vice President and Keynote Speaker, Kamala Harris said, never goes away.

"You have felt every day, every week, every year that has passed these 20 years," said Harris. "Every birthday your loved one is missed, every holiday."

Former President George W. Bush saw the suffering firsthand.

However, he says he also saw a unification, a country, coming together as one.

"On America's day of trial and grief, I saw millions of people instinctively grab for a neighbor's hand and rally to the cause of one another. That's the America I know," said President Bush.

While some may not remember much about that day being that they were too young, or weren't even born yet, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior Deb Haaland said this national memorial site, the stories behind each of these names, will help them understand the magnitude of that day.

"A set of brave individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, their story will live on," Secretary of the U.S. Department of Interior Deb Haaland.

It's a story that will forever be etched in our nation's history.

Following Saturday's observance, President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill came by to lay a wreath along the wall of names and pay respects at the crash site.