D.C. may get Flight 93 shrine

WASHINGTON — In the scorched meadow near Shanksville, Pa., where United Airlines Flight 93 went down on Sept. 11, 2001, a wreath of flowers was left with a note that said, "Thanks for saving us."

It was signed, "Capitol Hill employees."

Now members of Congress hope to create a more permanent symbol of gratitude to the 40 passengers and crew members who fought back against terrorist hijackers and may have been the reason the plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania and not Washington, D.C., where investigators believe it was headed.

The Senate has already approved the idea of placing some kind of memorial on the U.S. Capitol grounds. The House held a hearing Tuesday to make sure such a memorial would be acceptable to the families and would not conflict with plans for a main memorial in Shanksville.

"Perhaps we'll never know for sure what the terrorists' intended target was, whether it was the Capitol or the White House," said Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., who represents Shanksville and is leading the push for a memorial. "But we can offer something, a gesture of respect."

Relatives of the passengers and crew threw their support behind the idea.