Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta appeared somber and reflective as he stood upon "hallowed ground" at the Flight 93 National Memorial on the eve of the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I came here to Shanksville to extend our nation's gratitude to the heroes of Flight 93 and their families," Mr. Panetta said. "At the cost of their own lives they made a fateful decision to fight back and in so doing they prevented an attack on the U.S. Capitol. I am especially grateful to them because on that day I was at the U.S. Capitol."

The 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93 are credited with thwarting the deadly intentions of four al-Qaeda terrorists who hijacked their plane less than an hour after it left Newark International Airport.

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