Published: May 23, 2009 11:47 pm      

Shanksville post office chief helps tell Flight 93 story

SHANKSVILLE — Central City resident Deb Anderson has a profound appreciation for the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

As officer-in-charge of the Shanksville post office, Anderson understands the value of the small-town post office just miles from where the temporary memorial stands to honor the victims of United Airlines Flight 93.

Forty passengers and crew died when the airliner crashed in a field after it was hijacked by Islamic terrorists.

“We have a lot of people who come in here that need directions to the site,” she said. “We want to represent the town in a manner that lets people know we welcome the attention. I hope the story continues to be told.”

Anderson has been working for the U.S. Postal Service for 3 1/2 years and has been in Shanksville for eight months.

She hopes to be named postmaster and is preparing for the release of the new pictorial cancellation marking the anniversary of the Flight 93 crash.

Last year the post office handled 3,400 request for cancellations from the United States and around the world.

They are of special interest to stamp collectors and those interested in history.

The postmark is being designed by the Rev. Alphonse T. Mascherino, director of the nearby Flight 93 Memorial Chapel.

While visiting family in New York, Anderson toured the site where two hijacked airliners crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. A fourth hijacked airliner crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Va.

“I went to ground zero about a month after it happened,” she said. “You can’t walk away without a profound feeling. I let people know I’m from Shanksville. It’s interesting to them. They want to know what happened here.”