They came in the thousands here to this old mountain. They came in the heavy heat of Appalachian summers. They braved the deep snows and gusting winds of Somerset County’s notorious winters. They just kept coming, and they always followed the lead of the families and left a part of them with the mountain to thank them, to pray for them, to pray for our country.

Before they built the Flight 93 National Park here, the locals would open up their homes with glasses of water and the use of their bathrooms.

It was and remains the best of America here.

[That’s also an apt description of the courageous passengers of United 93 themselves, who became America’s first warriors on 9/11 against the terrorists, and who gave their lives to save other Americans. May the Lord continue to bless them, and us as well. — Ed]