Families of United 93 Victims to Hold Private Ceremony

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Memorial for Passengers, Crew of Flight 93

Community gathers to honor heroes

SHANKSVILLE, Pa. – The families of the 40 passengers and crew aboard United Airlines Flight 93 reflected on their loved ones' sacrifices on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, with President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, placing a wreath at the new national memorial, but they also looked to one last remembrance: a private interment ceremony Monday.

That's when Somerset County Coroner Wallace Miller, a funeral director who has maintained some of the victims' remains in three caskets in a crypt for 10 years, will turn them over for burial at the crash site. The newly christened Flight 93 National Memorial will be closed until 2 p.m. Monday so family members can conduct the service privately.

The private service will be "another important piece, another final step," in remembering the victims, "even though there seems to be one more final step all the time," said Carol Dahl Heiderich, whose youngest brother, Capt. Jason Dahl, piloted the ill-fated Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville.

Sandra Jamerson, 59, of Antioch, Calif., will also attend the burial because her twin sister, Wanda Green, was among the 40 passengers and crew killed when they decided to fight four hijackers for control of the plane during the terrorist attacks. Jamerson attended Saturday's memorial dedication and the memorial service on Sunday.

"Yesterday was very significant because it was an accomplishment because we've waited so long" for the national park, Jamerson said Sunday of the dedication of the memorial's first phase. "Today was more personal. It's significant to me primarily because this will be her final resting place," she said of her sister.

The family members gave Miller a standing ovation when his work was recognized during Sunday's ceremony, and he choked up behind dark glasses as he read a tribute to the victims with the refrain, "We Remember Them."