On Eve Of 9/11 Governor Ridge Calls Americans To Action For Flight 93

Published on 09/10/2009

Flight 93 Crash Site to Become America’s Next National Park, Honoring the 40 Heroes and the Lives They Saved

WASHINGTON, DC – On the eve of the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, former Pennsylvania Governor and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who also serves as honorary co-chair of the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign, called upon citizens to help support the creation of a national park and memorial to honor the heroes of Flight 93.

Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, PA, on September 11th, 2001, after the passengers and crew thwarted the terrorists who had taken over the plane. Presumably the terrorists planned to attack a site in Washington, D.C., most likely the Capitol or the White House. The 40 men and women on board the plane learned of the attacks at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon through cell phone conversations with loved ones on the ground, and together took action to stop the terrorists from completing their plan.

The Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign is being run by the National Park Foundation, which is the national charitable partner of the National Park Service. The Flight 93 Memorial Campaign is working to build a national park and lasting memorial at the crash site. General Tommy Franks (Ret.) is also an honorary co-chair of the campaign along with Governor Ridge.

“Their selfless acts of bravery and sacrifice were truly a great gift to the entire country, and it’s that gift that we want to memorialize. We want to build a lasting memorial, a national park at Shanksville,” said Governor Ridge. He then asks that Americans consider a contribution to the memorial campaign in honor of the “40 patriots, 40 heroes and heroines, the passengers and crew of Flight 93.”

“This isn’t just about remembering the heroes of Flight 93. It’s also about commemorating the fact that these ordinary people took extraordinary action and saved many lives on September 11th,” said Neil Mulholland, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “More than a million people have visited the Flight 93 crash site in the last eight years, and we are working hard to create a national park and lasting monument to permanently preserve that sacred space for future generations.”

To date, the Flight 93 National Memorial Campaign has raised about a third of the $30 million that the National Park Service mandated for the creation of the park. To make a contribution, please visit: www.honorflight93.org

About the National Park Foundation The National Park Foundation is an independent charitable organization chartered by Congress in 1967 to strengthen the connection between the American people and their national parks. As the official national non-profit partner of America’s National Parks, the Foundation raises private funds, makes strategic grants, creates innovative partnerships and increases public awareness about the need and opportunity for park philanthropy. In its 2008 fiscal year, the National Park Foundation distributed grants and program support of $27.3M.