Shanksville, Pennsylvania: Flight 93 Memorial

Shanksville, Pennsylvania, was put on the American history map for good on September 11, 2001, when a brave group of passengers forced a hijacked plane to crash into the countryside rather than completing an attack. An instant memorial has gone up to honor those on that flight, pending work on a finished project.

The current memorial overlooked the crash site, which was fenced and closed off from the public. Many came to leave memorabilia as a tribute; it was quite moving in a personal sort of way.

The picture was taken from the memorial at the crash location shortly after the airplane crash. The road isn't far from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and it's perhaps 30 minutes from Johnstown. Eventually, a permanent tribute went up on the site.