8 years after 9/11, Flight 93 memorial moves forward
Eight years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. government and landowners in Somerset County have reached an agreement that will allow the building of a memorial to the passengers and crew of hijacked Flight 93 that crashed into the fields of rural Pennsylvania.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the memorial will cost about $20 million, which includes $9.5 million for the land.
“The fields of western Pennsylvania, where the heroes of Flight 93 perished, are hallowed ground for a grateful nation,” Salazar said.
“We have reached this important milestone in properly honoring the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who gave their lives that day,” he said. “The Flight 93 Memorial will soon stand in their honor.”
The National Park Service signed agreements with eight landowners and expects construction to begin after groundbreaking in November with an eye to completing the memorial by Sept. 11, 2011.
Photo Credit: Reuters/Jason Cohn (Flight 93 temporary memorial)
I think it is churlish to criticise the land owners for requiring reimbursment for the land on which the memorial will be situated. The land is very valuable.
It is reasonable that the land owner’s require compensation. They are innocent victim’s too.