Dec 5, 2007 12:25 am US/Pacific
United Flight 93 Memorial To Open In Union City
Linda Yee, Reporting
UNION CITY (CBS 5) ―
They stand in silent tribute. Forty stone slabs, each naming a passenger or crew member of United Flight 93. One also honors the unborn child of Lauren Grandcolas of San Rafael. She was pregnant with her first baby when she died.
Michael Emerson of Hayward is the man behind the memorial located at Sugar Mill Landing Park. He pays tribute to the passengers who fought the hijackers on 9/11, sacrificing themselves by forcing their plane to crash into a Pennsylvania field.
"To me, they're the first combatants in our war on terror," said Emerson. "They are the first ones that fought back. I thought, let's do something."
Emerson worked hundreds of hours getting donors, volunteer labor, and overcoming endless problems. He said the easiest was convincing Union City to donate the park. It's been a labor of love.
"If I could be pregnant," he laughed, "I'd be like an elephant. They carry babies for a long time. Five and half year old baby I've carried this thing."
Emerson is a Desert Storm veteran. A tough Marine, he says, but he has a sensitive side.
"There's been a few families that have come out during this process, and I've actually given them tours," Emerson said. "When I see the mother or father touching the stone of their child, and the tears start to roll, then usually I get tears, too."
Everything about this memorial is steeped in symbolism.
The stone slabs are not finished for a reason. They represent unfinished lives. The tree of remembrance was planted with soil from the crash site.
"Basically the soul of the site, absorbed into the roots of the tree," Emerson said.
And the soul of Michael Emerson, so much a part of this park.
Formal dedication ceremonies will be held Saturday, December 8 at 11:00 a.m.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
