When visiting the Laurel Highlands area of Pennsylvania, visitors must make time to visit the United 93 Temporary Memorial, located in the Stonycreek Township in Somerset County, Pa. This is the site where United Flight 93 crashed — at an estimated speed of 500 mph — on Sept. 11, 2001, after heroic efforts by passengers and crewmembers thwarted an attack on what was thought to be the Capitol. All 33 passengers, seven crew members and the four terrorist-hijackers were killed.

It is amazing that, after almost eight years, thousands of visitors still visit this site and go out of their way to see it. In fact, a volunteer told me that every day of the week, no matter what the weather, visitors come. Thousands come each week to pay their respects to the 40 heroes on the flight. Over 125,000 visitors come each year.

When you drive down the road to the site, you are immediately struck by the openness of the land, and how it was miraculous that this plane went down in such a rural part of Pennsylvania. Except for a few houses dotting the landscape, there is not much else around.

When you pull up to the area, it is feels like hallowed ground, and visitors still are overcome with emotion, walking around with tears in their eyes.

Visitors will see a 40-foot long section of fencing, which has become a collage of flowers, flags, handwritten messages, artwork and tributes of every description. The array of painted rocks, crosses, plaques, ball caps, patches, flags and angels left at the site — and the journals in which visitors may write their thoughts — are a heartfelt record of the nation’s feelings about this event and the heroes who were aboard Flight 93. A single flag, located across a field within sight of the temporary memorial, marks the place where the plane went down. It is not accessible to visitors.

The temporary memorial is located on private property, but is maintained by the National Park Service through a license agreement with the landowner, and is staffed by volunteer ambassadors. Volunteers staff the site for 40–60 hours per week to answer visitors’ questions, provide driving directions, and simply provide a human point of contact for the thousands of visitors who come to the site each week.

The temporary memorial site is open from dawn to dusk, 365 days per year. The site is staffed between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on most days in the spring, summer and autumn; and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the winter months.

A Flight 93 National Memorial Capital Campaign has been launched nationally and internationally, seeking to raise $30 million to enable the construction of a permanent Flight 93 National Memorial. For information, visit www.honorflight93.org.

For information and directions to the temporary site, visit www.flight93memorialproject.org.