Flight 93 victims' families seek funds for memorial

WASHINGTON - Families of those who died aboard United AirlinesFlight 93 asked lawmakers and Obama administration officials onWednesday to set aside federal money to complete a 9/11 memorial atthe crash site in Pennsylvania.

The dedication of the first phase of the $62 million Flight 93National Memorial was held in September. The memorial will honor the40 passengers and crew members who died when the airliner crashed ina field near Shanksville on Sept. 11, 2001. Passengers foughtterrorists for control of the hijacked plane that was targetingWashington, D.C.

The meetings began Wednesday and will continue for the next fewdays. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is among the governmentofficials that the group is expected to meet with.

"We need to remind them that we are not done," said Gordon Feltof Remsen, N.Y., whose brother, Edward Felt, participated in therevolt by other passengers and crew. "We still have a ways to go."

Felt is president of Families of Flight 93.

Public and private donors have contributed $52 million, butofficials say an additional $10 million more is needed to completethe project. Felt said a visitor center, an education center and anentry portal with high walls framing the plane's flight path arepart of the next phase for the memorial.

Family members said they are optimistic about getting the neededfunding despite the pressures to cut budgets in Congress.

"We certainly recognize that budgets are tight," Felt said."That's why from the beginning we have been working with thegovernment and raising funds from the private sector as well."

Patrick White, vice president of the Families of Flight 93, saidabout 1.4 million people have visited the memorial, which has becomea popular stop for school groups on their way to and from visits toWashington.

"It's a story that continues to resonate with the Americanpeople," said White, whose cousin was killed on the flight.