First Lady Says Nation Is Grateful for Actions of Those on Flight 93

First Lady Laura Bush came to the rolling hills of rural Pennsylvania on Monday to offer solace to the families of the passengers and crew who died when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed here in a barren field.

In turn, she was overwhelmed with expressions of gratitude from those closest to the men and women hailed as heroes for their efforts to thwart a fourth assault on a major American landmark.

“This has been a week of loss and heartache of a kind none of us could have imagined,” the first lady told more than 250 relatives and friends at a memorial service held not far from the crash site.

“The burden is greatest, however, for the families--like those of you who are here today. America is learning the names but you know the people,” she said.

Laura Bush told reporters that, as she consoled relatives and friends, time and again they thanked her, the president and the American people for their expressions of compassion and sorrow. She said that kind of strength was remarkable “when, in fact, we’re the ones who are grateful for [their loved ones’] actions.”

And those who came to the memorial and to view the site took some comfort in the courage the passengers showed. “Maybe we won our first victory in our battle against this terrorist threat,” Gordon Felt said after the service. Felt’s brother Edward, a 41-year old computer company executive and father of two, died in the crash.

Before the memorial service, attended by Mrs. Bush and Pennsylvania Gov. Thomas J. Ridge, those closest to the victims were allowed to view the crash site. As six full buses approached the area, a long line of Pennsylvania state troopers saluted and Salvation Army workers placed their white helmets over their hearts.

Some passengers nodded their appreciation and others gazed at a makeshift shrine piled high with letters of sympathy, bouquets and fluttering flags.

One man clasped his hands in prayer as the bus headed up the hill. Family members spent two hours above the bluff overlooking the crash site.

“Everything stopped while they were here, just out of respect,” said Mark Tsantes, a spokesman for the Salvation Army.

Before the families got there, investigators and cleanup crews had been sifting through what little remains of the Boeing 757 that departed Newark, N.J., for San Francisco one week ago with 45 aboard.

At the site, family members laid white and red roses, bending their heads in silent prayer and muffled sobs.

“One little boy said: ‘Grandpa, where is the plane?’ ” said Lisa Taylor, a mental health specialist with the American Red Cross who was at the scene. As his elders grieved, a state trooper gave the boy a tour of a helicopter.

During the families’ visit, Taylor said four state police officers stayed at attention on horseback on a distant ridge. On another ridge stood a large farmhouse.

“It was very peaceful,” Taylor said, contrasting the area with the chaotic recovery efforts at the Pentagon and in New York.

When the buses descended the gravel road, onlookers wiped away tears and waved. One family member signaled “V” for victory and another woman waved her flag.

“It is so painful,” said Peggy Krobot, who stood on the side of the road to pay her respects with her 7-year-old daughter. “You could see their sorrow, their fear, their shock.”

At the service, Mrs. Bush spoke of the hope she has taken from a story she heard of a final call placed by a Flight 93 passenger to his wife.

“In his final message to his family, [he] said he loved them and would see them again,” she told the subdued crowd. “That man was a brave witness for the greatest hope of all . . . and that hope unites us now. You grieve today, and the hurt will not go away soon. But that hope is real, and it’s forever, just as the love you share with your loved one is forever.”

Some lawmakers are considering a permanent tribute to the passengers of Flight 93. Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter has suggested posthumously awarding the nation’s highest civilian honor--the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

More details about the passengers’ actions were released Monday by officials at GTE Airfone, which put through 20 calls for Flight 93’s passengers.

In one call, Todd Beamer, 32, of Cranbury, N.J., spoke for 13 minutes with a phone company supervisor after he was unable to place a call to his wife.

“Let’s roll!” were Beamer’s last words after telling the supervisors of plans he and others on the plane made to storm the hijackers.

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Times staff reporter Deborah Schoch contributed to this story.