About Flight 93
On September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 was originally headed to San Francisco International Airport when it was hijacked by terrorists 40 minutes after leaving Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Because the plane had been delayed in taking off, passengers on board learned of events in New York and Washington via phone calls from their friends and loved ones. Knowing that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight attendants carried out a plan to retake control of the aircraft. The passengers fought the four hijackers and attempted to break through to the cockpit. Despite the heroic efforts of these passengers, the plane crashed in a rural field near Shanksville in western Pennslyvannia at 10:10 AM.
All 40 crew members and passengers died that morning.
About Flight 93 Memorial
The Flight 93 Memorial was completed and dedicated on December 8, 2007. Union City was the first city in the United States to create a memorial specifically for the heroes of Flight 93, before the national memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania was created. The memorial includes 40 granite stones bearing the names of the passengers and crew members along a path that begins at a "Circle of Remembrance." On the front side of the 40 stones is a polished stainless-steel mirror to reflect the viewer’s own image to signify that it could have been any one of us aboard Flight 93 that day. The back of the 40 remembrance stones were left unfinished to signify that the heroes had unfinished lives. The stones end at a "Circle of Hope," which contains an American flag that symbolizes the bravery and courage of the passengers and crew, as well as hand-painted tiles from local children that represent a more hopeful future.
The City of Union City hosts memorial ceremonies every five years at the memorial site. The next memorial service will take place on September 11, 2021 for the 20 year anniversary.
Location
The Flight 93 Memorial is in Sugar Mill Landing Park, which is located on the back side of the Union Landing Shopping Center, Union City, California. The Park is at the corner of Alvarado-Niles and Dyer Streets. Union Landing Shopping Center is situated off Highway 880 you can get off at the Alvarado-Niles or Whipple exits.
