Even from over 2,000 miles away, it took less than 30 minutes for the news about 9/11 to reach Stephen Clark. Both of the twin towers in New York had already been hit, but he and his co-workers were watching live as the reports about the Pentagon and a plane that crashed came through.

As the chief ranger of the Virgin Islands National Park, Clark set the park on high alert until it was confirmed that Al Qaeda was finished with their attack. He, like many others across the nation, can recall exactly where he was and what he was doing once he heard about the crashes. While every part of the event is an influential aspect of recent American history, Clark would learn later on in his life just how important this final plane would become to him.
Whenever people think about 9/11, the twin towers instantly come to mind. There are over a thousand memorials spread across 15 countries to honor those lost, but it is rare to see more than a brief mention of Flight 93.
Four terrorists boarded that plane on the morning of September 11, 2001 and took control of the aircraft roughly 46 minutes after takeoff. With its speculated destination being Washington, D.C., this plane almost became the fourth to strike an iconic American building. The 33 passengers and 7 staff members on board, however, had other plans.
After hearing about the other attacks from their families, the remaining passengers realized that they were not only also on a hijacked plane, but that they were likely going to meet the same fate as the victims on the other three planes.
They banded together and fought their way up to the cockpit, fully breaking in at 10:01 a.m.. Just two minutes later, in a field 20 miles out from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Flight 93 collided with the ground.
An unofficial memorial was set up at the crash site the next year to honor the 40 innocent lives taken away by the crash, but the families and government alike planned for something bigger.

“We went up to a town near Bradford and stayed with host families. I had a great opportunity to spend a lot of time with one particular family who took us spotting deer and shooting rifles and all these types of things. That kind of spurred my interest in the outdoors,” Clark said.
This interest stayed consistent throughout high school and college, leading to a bachelor’s degree from Slippery Rock University and a certification in National Park Service law enforcement.
After getting his degree, Clark wasted no time applying for his first position: Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park. He stayed there for a few years, but the lull of adventure kept him constantly searching for new opportunities and parks to experience. Clark has served as a ranger all across the country, ranging everywhere from Acadia National Park in Maine to Lake Roosevelt National Park in Washington.
“(My career) encompasses about 38 years before this post from when I graduated college,” Clark shared. “So it’s been a very unique experience; I’ve been to so many different parts of the world, experienced a lot of cultures, and made a lot of wonderful memories.”
When the previous Superintendent of the National Parks of Western Pennsylvania retired from his position in 2015, Clark’s resumé made him a prime candidate.
His job requires him to oversee five parks: The Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, the Johnstown Flood National Memorial, the Fort Necessity National Battlefield, the Friendship Hill National Historic Site, and the aforementioned Flight 93 National Memorial. After eight years of service as the superintendent, Clark has had many unforgettable experiences that shed light on just how important Flight 93 really is.
“When I was sent here in March of 2015. the regional director at the time had asked me for three things when I was directed to go to these five parks. One of them was to bury the wreckage of Flight 93,” Clark said.
“In October of 2001, the FBI had concluded their investigation. They filled five 40-foot shipping containers and transported those containers up to Connecticut. Those containers sat there until 2018, when the families, the FBI, the Park Service, United Airlines, and the military came together and devised a plan that we were going to skim through the wreckage of Flight 93 because more than 90% of that aircraft was recovered and placed in these containers.”
The plan was set into motion, and the group began to search the remnants to see if anything was missed during the initial inspection. Many objects of interest were found, including one of the pitchers used by flight attendant Sandy Bradshaw to disorient the hijackers with boiling water, which Clark was especially excited to find.
Any personal belongings found were offered to the family of the owner, and if they declined to take the items, they were added to the memorial along with any miscellaneous items.
In addition to personal items, there were some remains of the victims that were discovered.
“We uncovered eight bones. A forensic anthropologist from Connecticut determined that three of those bones were animal bones that just happened to be in the crash site area when they were picked up, but five of those bones were human,” Clark said. “So I worked with the families and ultimately we determined that we would bury the bones in this beautiful marble urn that the people of Connecticut had purchased, and they had asked me to facilitate the burial of those bones.”
When the day of the burial came, the story of one family member in particular left a lasting impression on Clark. Ben Wainio was already familiar with the superintendent, as he had been a frequent visitor to the memorial and was known for his unique tradition to remember his daughter, Honor Elizabeth Wainio.
It is common to see flowers, postcards, and other memorabilia placed in front of the Wall of Names at the Memorial, but the stone of Honor at the Wall of Names can often be found with seashells in front of it. She was one of the younger passengers aboard Flight 93 at only 27.
During the burial, attendees were given an opportunity to pay their respects before the hole was covered. Once it was Mr. Wainio’s turn to step forward, he and Clark shared an understanding nod.
“He leaned over the hole and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of seashells. As he leaned over and dropped those shells into the hole he said, ‘I miss you, baby.’ You could just feel the love that he had for his daughter,” Clark recalled.

Clark does not have a relationship with all of the families of the victims, but he always considers the them when making decisions.
“I’ve never met some families who have never been to the memorial. Everybody grieves differently. Other families are here on a consistent basis, so there are a group of family members that I rely on to help me make the right decisions. Usually when something happens, I have to view my decision through the eyes of the families. One of the most unique elements of my job and in all of my career is to forge a relationship not just with partners, but with the families of those who died on September 11th,” Clark said. “They’re just wonderful people and they’re very grateful, I might add, to the American people and to this nation for remembering their loved ones and and keeping it so beautiful and meaningful.”

A major aspect of the memorial is the service given each year in memory of those lost. In past years, the 9/11 observance has been relatively standard. Clark steps up to the podium and gives introductions to the families. They pray together and spend the rest of the ceremony listening to various speakers and music.
“In my time here, we’ve had President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, we’ve had President Trump, Vice President Pence, a lot of people at the highest levels of our government. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about elected officials. It’s about remembering the 40, remembering what they did for this great country,” Clark said.
This year’s observance, however, was a very unique and emotional experience for the staff and families alike.
“This year, we didn’t have any speakers at all and we didn’t have any music in order to really focus on those lost. I stepped to the podium at 9:50 a.m. with some introductory remarks and then we got right into the reading of the names by 10:03, the moment when the plane crashed. After the reading of the names, we had Rabbi Jeffrey Myers (from the) the Tree of Life synagogue take the podium, and he gave the nondenominational invocation. At that point, the families proceeded to the boulder. It was really special and the families loved it,” Clark said.
Flight 93’s impact is not limited to September 11. While walking towards the Wall of Names during The Oracle staff’s tour of the memorial, we stopped at a spot where visitors often leave gifts to the memorial or for those lost.
One of the items there that day was a handwritten letter by an individual with a terminal illness who wrote a thank you note to the victims of Flight 93. Armed with the knowledge that their passing was inevitable, they made the long trip out to the Flight 93 memorial, a place they had always wanted to visit.
“If you think about the five national parks that I oversee, three of them are directly related to where people died. The Johnstown flood killed 2,209 people, roughly 40 soldiers were killed at Fort Necessity, and of course the 40 on Flight 93. It takes its toll, but thankfully, when you have great staff and you have our volunteers, you have both good days and bad days. Sometimes you just take a step back, wipe a tear from your eye, and get an unbelievable sensation of how special this place is.”