Participants Announced For Tower Of Voices Dedication And 17th Annual Observance

President Donald Trump will deliver remarks during the observance ceremony on September 11 at Flight 93 National Memorial. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke, who served as a US Navy SEAL in the Global War on Terror, will also speak at the ceremony. First Secretary of Homeland Security and 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge will keynote the Tower of Voices Dedication on September 9. The ceremonies will honor the 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93 on the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

The Tower of Voices Dedication will take place on Sunday, September 9. The $6 million project was generously funded by a grant from the National Park Foundation. The dedication ceremony is open to the public and participants include:
Tom Ridge, first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania, and national co-chairman of the Flight 93 National Memorial Fundraising Campaign  

• Calvin Wilson, Brother-in-Law of First Officer Leroy Homer and former Federal Advisory Commissioner for Flight 93 National Memorial
• Paul Murdoch, Architect Flight 93 National Memorial  
• Reverend Robert Way
• United States Air Force Singing Sergeants
• National Park Service Honor Guard

"We are honored that President Trump will be in attendance on September 11, representing our country to honor our 40 heroes,” said Families of Flight 93 President Gordon Felt. “The Families of Flight 93 are grateful to all those that have helped to bring Paul Murdoch's vision of a 93-foot Tower of Voices to completion. It marks the end of our journey to see a Memorial honoring the courage and heroism of the passengers and crew members of Flight 93. The story of our 40 heroes and their collective actions have been preserved so that future generations will be able to remember the pain of September 11th as well as the hope and heroism that once again helped to define our nation."

The 93-foot tall musical instrument will serve as both a visual and audible reminder of the heroism of the 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93.

“I look back on the courageous actions of these 40 individuals with gratitude and awe,” said Governor Ridge. “Their extraordinary bravery will forever be preserved in this memorial. It is my hope that Americans will hear these chimes, walk the flight path, touch the Wall of Names, and feel a deep connection to these men and women that stood up in the face of tremendous adversity.”

The 17th Annual September 11 Observance will begin at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday, September 11 at the Flight 93 Visitor Center. At 10:03 a.m. –the moment Flight 93 crashed –the names of the passengers and crew members will be read and the Bells of Remembrance will be rung in their memory. The observance is open to the public and participants include:

• Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America
• Secretary Ryan Zinke, U.S. Department of the Interior
• The Honorable Tom Wolf, 47th and current Governor of Pennsylvania
• The Honorable Mark Schweiker, 44th Governor of Pennsylvania
• Gordon Felt, President of the Families of Flight 93
• Reverend Paul Britton, brother of Marion R. Britton
• United States Navy Brass Quintet

(Source: National Park Service news release. NPS image)

FMI: www.nps.gov