Into the valley of death rode the 40

There are 40 people that I would like to thank today. The 40 people who boarded United Airlines Flight 93.
40 people huddled in the rear of the cabin of the plane
after they learned it had been high jacked.
40 people voted knowing their decision was to die
40 people acted as one
40 people became heroes on September 11, 2001
40 people died protecting the lives of unknown Americans on that fateful day.
Shanksville, Pennsylvania is just one of the three tragic sites we honor today.
We honor their bravery, their courage and their commitment to humanity.
Sandy Dahl, the widow of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl. Is quoted:
``If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.''
We thank those that gave their lives that fateful day
We thank those that worked bravely and tirelessly to search for survivors,
We thank those who continue to live their lives with the sad memories of their loss.
Today we honor their legacy. They made a choice, a choice to lay down their lives for others.
Their gift to us is this:
We do not live in fear……..we live in Freedom!
We thank those 40 people.