Forty Lives, One Story Of Sacrifice

As The Nation Honors the Heroes of Flight 93, Their Story Continues to Teach Lessons Of Unity, Sacrifice, and the Power of Ordinary People to Shape History.

Greater Latrobe students lining up to enter the Flight 93 National Memorial Visitor Center

“It Changed Our Way Of Life As A Whole”

A Ceremony of Memory, Fear, and Resilience 

Thousands gathered at the Flight 93 Memorial on September 11, 2025 and thousands more tuned in online to witness the annual 9/11 ceremony honoring the forty victims aboard Flight 93. The events of September 11, 2001, remain etched in the memory of the vast majority of attendees, not just as a national tragedy, but as a turning point in their personal lives. One attendee reflected, “It changed our way of life as a whole,” a parallel to thoughts shared by many others who described the lingering fear that followed. “9/11 changed how you went on an airplane; you were afraid for a few years,” said another, recalling the all-of-a-sudden fear and vulnerability that grasped the United States.

The ceremony, which lasted just over forty-five minutes, consisted of the reading of the names of the fallen heroes, along with a prayer and a speech delivered by Stephen Clark, Superintendent of National Parks of Western Pennsylvania. It served as a space for reflection and connection. “The world as a whole has not been the same since this all happened,” one visitor shared, “that’s why we come up here.” The emotional weight of the event was enhanced by the reading of names and the ringing of bells, streamed online for schools and colleges so students could witness the solemn tribute, as well as any individual who was unable to attend in person. 

While the ceremony provided a moment to collectively honor and remember, the stories shared by families and community members revealed the lasting personal impact of all the events that took place on September 11, 2001. Attendees reflected on how the day reshaped their lives, their sense of safety, and even their understanding of service and sacrifice. 

For families, that day in 2001, brought confusion and fear. One parent remembered the chaos: “Our kids were in second grade. I knew where I was; he [her husband] knew where he was. I was near the school, and I just didn’t know how to go pick them up like a lot of families. I thought they were safe at their school. In hindsight, I should have gone and picked them up, but nothing like that had ever happened in our lives.”

The ripple effects of 9/11 extended far beyond the immediate aftermath. A group of Vietnam veterans spoke of friends and family deployed to Afghanistan and other conflicts that followed. “We thought we were a great power, we were untouchable,” one said. “Now we know we were not.” Another added, “The impact hit the victims and then their families, then the military and military families. It spread and snowballed, and no one person was unaffected.”

For some, the attacks sparked a call to service. One father in attendance with his family recalled being in eighth grade when his cousin enlisted the day after the attacks. “Life changed in a way that I lost a sense of security,” he said. “It’s the only time in most people’s lives that we’ve experienced that kind of attack on our home.”

Among the lingering fears, patriotism still lingered. “Teamwork and pride in America were a big thing,” a working security guard shared, alluding to the passengers of Flight 93 as a symbol of courage. “Forty people stood up, knowing what had happened in the rest of the country. That airplane was going to be used as a weapon, and they fought to prevent that from happening.”

As the years pass, the fear has softened into remembrance. “I think that the fear has dissolved,” one attendee reflected, “and quickly became a time of honoring, and willingness to pick up and go fight the unpredictable—to defend the honor and freedom we had.”

“They Get Up and They Fight”

Lessons in Humanity From 9/11

For today’s high school students, 9/11 is not a memory; it's learned history. No primary or secondary education students were alive the day the towers fell or when Flight 93 crashed. Since they didn’t live through it, the question remains: what lessons should they take away from a tragedy they only know through stories?

Gregory Zaborowski faces this challenge every day. As the Flight 93 Education Specialist, he helps students understand the significance of what happened 24 years ago. “In 2016, I started with 700 school kids that I did field trips for,” he said. “The next year I had 3,000. The next year I had 6,000, and the next 9,000. For the last five years in a row, I’ve had over 10,000 kids come here a year.” In total, Zaborowski estimates he’s led nearly 9,000 field trips for about 70,000 students from eighteen states and beyond the U.S.

But teaching 9/11 isn’t just about recounting facts. It’s about framing the event in a way that resonates with young people. “This is the only park in the national park system where we tell the story of a mass murder,” he said. “It was not an accident. We were not at war, so they were not casualties of war; it was murder,” said Zaborowski.

The Specialist emphasizes to his students that the attack wasn’t just an American tragedy. “When the World Trade Centers were hit, there were 91 countries in the world that had office spaces there, and 56 of those countries lost citizens,” he shared. “Japan lost 24 citizens.” He aims to help students understand that 9/11 affected the entire world. 

He, is diligent about the manner and diction he uses in his teachings, careful not to teach or imply hatred. “You don’t hate the people in the Middle East,” he said. “There can be villains from anywhere, and there have been. We can’t be pointing fingers at other countries because they’re different. They are all different—different nationalities, different ethnic groups—and that’s okay.”

Instead, he urges courage. “The essence of the story is they get up and they fight,” he said of the passengers and crew of Flight 93. “And they saved lives.” He reminds students that villains exist—but so do heroes. And sometimes, heroism means choosing to act when you could have stayed silent.

Some adults worry that young people won’t understand the story or learn from it in the way older generations do. Zaborowski pushes back and shares in his lessons, “People come here [the memorial] saying, oh, you know, the young people of America, they’ll never understand this story, or they’ll never appreciate it like we appreciate it. Well, I’m sorry, I wasn’t around when Pearl Harbor was bombed, but I know you don't use it as an excuse to hate.”

It remains uncertain what themes today’s students will carry forward from 9/11. However, through education, empathy, and storytelling, they can be equipped with the tools to comprehend its impact and the resilience to shape the future

In the tragedy of Flight 93, there are lessons that stand the test of time, lessons students today should carry with them as part of their historic and moral education. Sebastian Gorka, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism for the National Security Council, believes the defining theme was sacrifice.

“The people on board knew what had happened to the World Trade Centers,” Gorka said. “They later made the decision not just to try to save themselves but to save others. It was the greatest act of sacrifice.” That decision, made in a short thirty-five minutes after the terrorists announced their presence and the passengers decided to fight back, was not about survival—it was about preventing further destruction. “Forty heroes realized that they were probably not going to be able to save themselves,” he explained, “but they could stop that plane from becoming a weapon.” That is exactly what they did. 

Students learning about 9/11 today should realise this story is more than a historical account; it's a moral compass. Gorka emphasized, “Number one is sacrifice, probably the biggest lesson… this story is proof that evil exists. If we do not do something about it and brave people do not step up, evil wins.”

These are the kinds of lessons educators and families hope young people will absorb: Courage is not the lack of fear, but the decision to act regardless of it. That heroism came from ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. And that standing up against evil—whether in the form of violence, injustice, or hatred—is a responsibility we all share.

 “They Voted… A Symbol of Our Democracy.”

How Strangers Became Heroes on Flight 93

Edward Felt, brother of Flight 93 victim Gordon Felt, wanted his fellow visitors to remember two specific things: “The first is to know about the individuals, because it could have been any of us. Forty people got on that plane; the rest of us went to work that morning. And the second was how they responded under the most enormous pressure you can imagine.” 

In the chaos of a hijacked flight, and the news of the towers already spreading and communication with the ground underway, the passengers and crew had just thirty-five minutes to act. “They had choices,” Felt said. “Sit back and hope, try a little, or go all in. They stepped up.”

“Most of them didn’t know each other,” Felt said. They formed a plan and voted on it, “actually sat down and voted on whether they should do something. Symbolic of our democracy.” Felt noted. In that moment, differences disappeared. “It didn’t matter where they came from, how much money they made, what religion they were. They worked together. “What followed was not just a moment of bravery, but a moment of profound unity. “They actually sat down and voted on whether they should do something. A symbol of our democracy.” Felt said. “They understood that they needed to work together, and all of those differences meant nothing to them.”

For students learning about 9/11 today, this story shares more than historical detail; it offers a challenge. “This shows us, and should show students, that we have the capacity to achieve great things,” Felt said. “But we have to want them. We have to be willing to not sit back. We want to act.”

His final message lingered as a quiet warning, “You never want to look back and say, If only I had acted.” The passengers of Flight 93 refused to hesitate; through their courage, they forever altered the course of history.

“It’s About Understanding Why It Matters” 

Passing down the Lessons of 9/11

Surrounding the Flight 93 Memorial, memories live on not just engraved in stone and ceremony, but in the voices of those who were there. “Around here, there are a lot of people who have been involved in what happened with Flight 93,” an American Red Cross Volunteer said. “The best way to learn is by hearing real-life experience—talking to people who have had first-hand experience or have served in that environment.”

For students and visitors who didn’t live through the events of 9/11, these stories are essential. They offer more than facts—they offer emotions. They carry the weight of fear, the strength of unity, and the courage of action. Through conversations with survivors, volunteers, educators, and families, the tragedy becomes personal, and the lessons become real.

This kind of learning—passed from one generation to the next—is what keeps the legacy of Flight 93 alive. It’s not just about remembering what happened. “It’s about understanding why it matters, and choosing to carry that understanding forward,” said a volunteer. 

As each generation listens, learns, and reflects, the spirit of those forty heroes continues to shape how we understand sacrifice, unity, and the power of choosing to act. The story of Flight 93 is not only remembered, but lived in every lesson, every act of unity, and every choice to stand with courage.