Monday, September 12, 2011

Flight 93 National Memorial - Signs tell the story

At the entrance to the Sacred Ground of the Flight 93 National Memorial, is a small set of entrance gates. It is very simple, but there are some signs, with pictures and some brief statements to help tell the story for what happened September 11, 2001.

The names and faces of the Crew and Passengers of Flight 93





We-re going to do something

Fighting Back






The Investigation

  Clues from Flight 93




MAYDAY !!!


Flight Path

The reality of this map, and having flown out of Newark many times, this flight may have flown over where I was working at the time. That story is elsewhere on this blog.



America Attacked

Message at The Wall







Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Flight 93 National Memorial

Sunday, September 11, 2011 - 10 years later
Entrance fo the Flight 93 National Memorial
10 years after the events of 09/11/01, the Flight 93 National Memorial was opened, dedicated the day before (09/10/11).

Over the years, my parents visited many, many National Parks around the country. I'll have to count them one day. My family and I have visited some of them. But, never on the First Full Day that a National Memorial was open to the public.

Within this past year, I visited "Ground Zero", and in May, visited the Pentagon. Ground Zero has always been a problem for me, as my last memory of that the World Trade Center was a visit that my family had with my cousin Bernice, Jody, Julie, John, and my daughters Carrie and Jennie. It wasn't long after that visit that Bernice died, way too young, of cancer. We had a great day, standing on top of the world, the awesome view of New York City, to the west New Jersey, and it Schooleys Mountain had been a little taller, perhaps we would have seen home. But how the compares to the events that took place 10 years ago is not within my capacity to reason.

It was important for Patti and I to visit this sacred ground, on a field in southeastern Pennsylvania. At the last minute, we decided to "take a trip", first to Gettysburg (another story) and the Flight 93 National Memorial. No planning, not knowing what to expect, nor, for me at least, the significance of the event that took place here.

We drove around for hours trying to find a place to sleep, as we had been on the road all day, with a stop over at the Gettysburg Battle Ground. Very tired, Patti went to sleep and I watch the re-play of the Ceremonies that had taken place earlier in the day. Then the reason for our small adventure became clear. To be part of the many, many people you would be at this sacred place to let the Families and Friends of 40 people know, that We Will Never Forget.


Across the field was where the memorial is located. This place had become familiar from the various TV programs that we on TV, specifically in this area, as this is where it happened.

Arriving at the Entrance, we got word that the Memorial would not be open for a while. Based on what we saw in the area, we knew something special was happening. The TV had said that President Obama would be here, and he was. In a little over 3 months, Patti and I had been "so close" to our president, both times laying a wreath. In May, our trip to DC and the Pentagon, at the laying of the wreath at the Arlington National Cemetery.

As we waited, folks were leaving these sacred grounds. By now, some of the faces were familiar, but many had tags and pictures of loved ones. They were the Families and friend of these 40 Hero's of Flight 93.


Many family members were in the area and at this point were leaving to return to their homes after meeting with President Obama. The clergy person above, had been on the TV earlier in the day offering his prayers for the families.

Sometimes New Media are not helpful, and I am sure they weren't this time either, but thinking about that a moment, they were recording, for us, a way to remember the events 10 years earlier. Not that it will help the Families and Friends, but to help our future generations get a glimpse of what happened 10 years ago, and today.


The Memorial Wall is incredible in it's design. Like other memorial walls, they have the names of those involved. But this wall is laid out in such a way, that it is the Path that Flight 93 was on when it hit the ground. (those pictures will be posted at a more appropriate time)

The Wall:









The Bells that were rung with the reading of the names.

A group of Native Americans were present at this sacred ground.


 As were hundreds, or thousands of "bikers", paying their respect.



The final landing of this airplane and the Sacred Ground of Flight 93.





We Will Remember

Flight 93 National Memorial 

Other Photo's of Flight 93

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Tombstone Tuesday - McNear, Alberta M Erbach

Alberta M Erbach 
Wife of Harold T McNear
1906 - 1984



Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Tombstone Tuesday - McNear, Harold T

Harold T McNear
1903 - 1964



Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Tombstone Tuesday - Koster, Sarah A Fish

Sarah A Fish Koster
May 5 1857 - Sep 17 1916





Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Tombstone Tuesday - Hosking, Douglas J

Douglas J Hosking
S SGT US Army Air Forces
World War II
Jan 11 1924 - Jan 16 1998



Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Tombstone Tuesday - Koster, Henry H

 Henry H Koster
Mar 4 1848 - May 26 1918






Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Tombstone Tuesday - Hendershot, Welsey

Wesley D Hendershot
TEC4 US Army
World War II
Nov 19 1922 - Dec 5 1982



Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Tombstone Tuesday - Hendershot, Russel

Russel Hendershot
PFC US Army
World War I
1897 - 1976


Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Tombstone Tuesday - Hamler, Elmira Shawger

 Elmira Shawger
Wife of Andrew H Hamler


Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey
07879

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington

Tombstone Tuesday - Erbach, Albert V

Albert V. Erback
1878 - 1941


Tranquility Cemetery
Kennedy Road and Maple Lane
Green Township, New Jersey07879

an updated photo

Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington
Posted by Picasa

Monday, September 5, 2011

RestingSpot - a new tombstone application

My Cemetery Visiting friend at Granite In My Blood, posted this blog post recently.

Resting Spot

I had seen this new application a couple of days earlier, but didn't do anything about it. Midge, hinted that I would try it out. Well, I did.

More information on the Resting Spot application can be found here:

http://restingspot.com/

There is a write up on the application here:

http://www.siliconprairienews.com/2011/08/restingspot-launches-to-put-loved-ones-on-the-map

and an example of the output:

http://www.restingspot.com/rsinfo/us/NE/Douglas/edward-zorinsky/1393

Looks like a really cool utility to have in one's Cemetery Tool Kit.

My initial findings are this:

The Application, for the iPad, requires an active internet connection. Since my iPad 2 only has WiFi, I was unable to do anything, but to take a picture. Getting home, I was able to upload the image, BUT, the GPS information for the image was not from the cemetery.

Midge's experience with the developers at Resting Spot was very helpful, as was my experience with them. The response from my request to have the image removed, as the GPS information was my home, they removed the Memorial / Resting Spot.

I may try, at a later time, to allow my smart phone be a Hot Spot, and try to link the iPad 2 to the Hot Spot.

On their Website, there is a link to the iPhone / iPad APP Store, but the Android APP link is not currently active. In the discussion with the very helpful folk at Resting Spot, the Android APP should be out soon.

If you are interested:

Their Blog:

Follow them on Twitter:

Visit them on Facebook

Will await the Android APP and try it again.



Copyright © 2011 by H R Worthington