First Trees Planted At Flight 93 National Memorial; Victims' Family Members Reflect

SHANKSVILLE, Pa.,None — A ceremonial planting of sweet gum trees at the Flight 93 National Memorial took place Saturday.

This is the first installment of a much larger plan to beautify the area.

The first three trees were planted Saturday and more will follow.

For people who lost a loved one on September 11, 2001, it was a bittersweet event.

Ken Nacke lost his older brother on that day. He said, "My parents believe this is where Joey's soul and memory is- right here and right now."

Many relatives wanted to be present for the latest addition to the memorial.

Ronaldo Vega, the national memorial design director, said, "Today is a special day, a happy day. It's difficult to remember many happy days since the tragic events took place 10 years ago."

A total of 40 trees will be planted by the end, one for each of the people who died when the plane crashed.

Patrick White spoke about his cousin who died on September 11, "He was one of the men who helped make sure the plane didn't reach the terrorists' destination."

The remaining 37 will be planted throughout the next few weeks, behind the wall of names.

The first phase of the memorial will be dedicated on September 10 of this year.

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