SALENA ZITO: Under a vivid blue sky, a Pennsylvania field whispers the names of the fallen.

Not far from the entrance to the Flight 93 National Memorial, a quiet stretch of hillside rises gently along the Lincoln Highway. If you drive by too quickly, you might miss it entirely. Yet, this plot of Pennsylvania farmland has transformed into a living sanctuary. It honors not only the souls lost in the catastrophic crash 25 years ago today, but every American service member who has fallen in the subsequent global fight against terrorism.

The mornings across the Appalachian ridges often start heavy and overcast, but today the gray yields to a brilliant, piercing blue sky, punctuated only by light clouds riding the mountain crests.

Standing before this memorial, known as Patriot Park, visitors are met by an overwhelming sea of American flags. Thousands of small banners are secured to white sleeves over metal stakes driven deep into the Earth. When a sudden gust crests the ridge, the entire hillside shifts in unison, producing a gentle, rhythmic rustling that mimics the sound of a sudden downpour on a tin roof.

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