A Plane Overhead. A Nation Under Attack. A Call to Serve.
The story of how a routine Salvation Army meeting in western Pennsylvania became the beginning of months of service at the Flight 93 crash site.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, as Americans and people around the world watched the terrorist attacks unfold in New York and Washington, a group of Salvation Army personnel were gathered for a meeting at the Somerset Service Unit in western Pennsylvania.
The meeting was interrupted by the sound of a plane flying unusually low overhead. According to retired Salvation Army officer Major Claranne Meitrott, who was serving in Western Pennsylvania at the time, those gathered, including Salvation Army employee Chris Crow, stepped outside to see what was happening. Within minutes, they realized that United Flight 93 had descended and crashed into a field less than 10 miles away near Shanksville.
What had begun as an ordinary meeting suddenly placed Salvation Army personnel at the doorstep of one of the defining events of September 11. As reports of the disaster began to emerge, Crow and others followed the unfolding scene toward the crash site, while officers from nearby communities were called into service. Among them was Major Robert Carney, who was serving as corps officer in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and received a call directing him to Shanksville as first responders, law enforcement officers and investigators converged on the area.
Because Salvation Army personnel were already nearby when the plane went down, the organization was able to mobilize almost immediately. In the hours that followed, canteens arrived to provide meals and refreshments for emergency personnel working at the site. What began as an initial response grew into a long-term ministry of service, with Salvation Army officers, staff and volunteers offering food, supplies, prayer and encouragement to the thousands of workers involved in the recovery and investigation effort.
The ministry extended beyond practical support. The first Sunday after the crash, The Salvation Army was asked to conduct a worship service for recovery workers. Major Meitrott, who helped support the Army's ministry at the site, distributed Bibles, prayed with responders and maintained a compassionate presence throughout the recovery operation. In the weeks that followed, she continued traveling from Pittsburgh to Shanksville, providing Bibles and encouragement to workers serving at the crash site.
More than two decades later, the memory remains vivid for those who were there. An ordinary meeting in Somerset became an unexpected call to service, placing Salvation Army personnel in a unique position to respond when their nation needed them most.
