Plan for Flight 93 memorial unveiled

WASHINGTON - Alice Hoglan whose son, Mark Bingham, was one of the victims in the crash of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, wants a memorial that will be a place of ``reverence and peace.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Hoglan&#39;s vision came one step closer to reality Friday when Rep. John Murtha announced he will ask Congress to authorize construction on the crash site. <br> <br> Bingham, who was sitting within reach of the cockpit, is believed to be one of the passengers who fought the terrorists. Their efforts likely caused the plane to crash into a field near Shanksville, about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, instead of its apparent target in Washington. All 44 passengers and crew members aboard were killed.<br> <br> ``The passengers on Flight 93 redefined the war on terrorism,&#39;&#39; Murtha said. ``This will honor their memory.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Murtha, a Democrat who represents the area where the United Airlines flight crashed, said the project would be financed by public and private funds and administered by the National Park Service. He had no estimate of the total cost or a projected completion date. <br> <br> Under his proposal, Interior Secretary Gale Norton would name a 15-member panel to evaluate and decide on designs for the memorial. <br> <br> Hoglan, of Los Gatos, Calif., said she has heard about many possible designs and one of several that appealed to her was a memorial steel, possibly surrounded by a bed of geraniums. <br> <br> So far, businesses and individuals have contributed about $1 million toward a memorial, said Susan Hankinson, coordinator of the memorial effort for Somerset County, Pa. <br> <br> The announcement came three days before the six-month anniversary of the attacks. Three other planes hijacked that morning crashed into the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Flight 93, en route from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco, was the only one that did not kill anyone on the ground. <br> <br> Murtha said he hopes his bill will be considered in the House before the summer. <br> <br> No companion bill has been introduced in the Senate, but spokesmen for Sens. Rick Santorum and Arlen Specter said they are reviewing Murtha&#39;s bill. Both senators are cosponsoring legislation to give the passengers and crew the Congressional Gold Medal. <br> <br> Among the passengers was Todd Beamer. He was overheard on an in-flight phone, saying ``let&#39;s roll&#39;&#39; shortly before the plane crashed. Investigators believe that was a signal to other passengers to confront the hijackers.