Published: May 02, 2008 11:39 pm      

Flight 93 families speak out for memorial

SOMERSET — Frustrated by persistent accusations that the design of the Flight 93 National Memorial is a veiled tribute to Islamic terrorists, key family members are fighting back.

In by far their strongest condemnation of the claims, they discounted the validity of the allegations and vowed the memorial will be dedicated as planned on the 10th anniversary of the attack.

The concerns “have been asked, answered, asked again and answered again,” said Patrick White, vice president of Families of Flight 93, whose cousin, Louis Nacke II, was among 40 innocent passengers and crew killed when the hijacked plane crashed near Shanksville on Sept. 11, 2001.

“Rather than standing pat and standing quiet, we’re standing up and saying, ‘Enough.’ ”

Five family representatives and the chairman of the federal Flight 93 Advisory Commission defended the design at a press conference Friday at the Pittsburgh Marriott City Center. Two other family members joined in a conference call.

“The allegations are not only hurtful, misleading and not based in fact, but have required an inordinate amount of time to set the record straight,” Families of Flight 93 President Gordon Felt said.

California author Alec Rawls and Tom Burnett Sr., whose son, Thomas Burnett Jr., died on the plane, have repeatedly suggested the proposed arc of trees surrounding the sacred ground where the plane crashed is a symbolic crescent that points toward Mecca. The two are spearheading an Internet petition drive against the memorial.

Burnett was a member of the second jury that selected the final design, though he has said he was against the concept from the beginning.

Yet the second jury report said the panel unanimously supported the design by Los Angeles architect Paul Murdoch. The report also said developers should be cautious of religiously charged words such as “crescent.”

Sandy Felt, wife of Edward Felt and a stage-two jury member, said the jury discussed the design’s former title, “Crescent of Embrace,” in light of a crescent’s Muslim symbolism.

But Felt said jury members concluded, “There’s no particular ownership of the shape.”

She suggested Burnett is trying to cope after the death of his son.

“It’s part of the grieving process for a family member not comfortable with the design,” she said. It’s a way for him to cope. Of course, I’m disappointed. But I understand.

“I thought I knew how he felt during the jury competition. Obviously, I was wrong.”

Gordon Felt said developers have spoken with experts and religious scholars about the alleged symbolism.

“We can’t see it,” he said.

“We see there might be similarities that are inadvertent, but certainly not any kind of hidden agenda or hidden plan. That’s really ludicrous and hurtful to the families.”

The Flight 93 Memorial Task Force and Advisory Commission are scheduled to hold their quarterly meeting this morning at the Somerset County Courthouse. Officials said opponents of the design may submit petitions.

White said the design will move toward reality. On Friday, officials said they expected to close on the sale of more than 900 acres of land owned by PBS Coals Inc. of Friedens near the crash site.

“We stand on the cusp of moving forward at a very rapid pace,” White said.

Officials said the topography of the land, including a bowl near the crash site, is the best argument for the memorial’s design. Gordon Felt said visitors to the site can quickly gain insight into why Murdoch’s design was selected.