There are times that it is important for us to reflect upon the acts and experiences of those among us who prematurely pay the ultimate price for being American. Those moments are usually filled with intense contemplation, tears of sadness, bitter sweetness of thought that their lives were not cut short in vain, and ultimately with pride knowing that they acted as Americans should.

Our memorial seeks to enhance these thoughts and seeks to provide inspiration for those of us who remain alive as to how we can be better citizens. The simple slightly elevated and faceted limestone plane, “THE PLANE OF TEARS," folds gently into the ground to remind us of the fact that even though their physical bodies perished on these grounds, their souls remain with us. The folded down portion of the “PLANE OF TEARS” creates a sunken glass covered pathway called the “PATH OF DEAFENING SILENCE”. It is along this acoustically deadened path that one is nudged into silent and lonely contemplation as one makes the 800 foot walk towards the sacred ground and view of the crash epicenter along the original flight path of 93.

15 - 20 ft. Corten “Medallions of The Soul” are fully embedded within the plane of the limestone, symbolic of each life lost. Their diamond shapes are derived from the geometry of the five pointed star on the United States Flag. They rest on the “PLANE OF TEARS” in a non hierarchical order, all equal in our eyes. Over time, the Corten will rust and create reddish streaks engraving the limestone and creating an organic tear-streaked affect.