The park features a twisted steel column from the World Trade Center and a marker that shows where it was located on the building.   

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   The 9/11 memorial in Hilliard, which is also located at a place called First Responders Park, is probably the most elaborate and solemn memorial. Located in the heart of the community, it features rows of granite walls that contain the names of each person lost on 9/11, as well as a large, jumbled piece of the World Trade Center that sits on top of a marble pedestal.    

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   Large gatherings and memorial services take place at both of these parks each Sept. 11, with special activities planned for the 20th anniversary at both locations.   

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   Located nearby, just south of Columbus, is Mott’s Military Museum. Along with an extensive collection of United States military history, memorabilia and hardware, the museum contains a ladder truck that was recovered from the wreckage of the twin towers, as well as dirt and rocks from the United 93 crash site and chunks of limestone from the Pentagon building. There is a fee to enter the museum. 

 

   A very moving 9/11 monument (pictured above left) can be found in Alliance, Ohio, located south of Cleveland.    

   Alliance was the hometown of Chief Warrant Officer William Ruth, who died during the attack at the Pentagon, and Todd Beamer, who died in the crash of United 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, which is really not that far from Alliance.     

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   Beamer will forever be remembered for rallying passengers to take action against the terrorists, with his last words being, “Let’s roll!” He and other passengers then charged and overtook the terrorists. As a plaque on the memorial in Alliance reads: “This successful counterattack prevented the hijackers from reaching their intended target in Washington D.C.”    

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   The Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania is a grand tribute to Beamer and the other heroes of Flight 93.    Located in the rural foothills of eastern Pennsylvania, but easily accessible from Interstate 70, the Flight 93 National Memorial is operated by the U.S. National Park Service. It features three main areas of interest—the Tower of Voices monument, Memorial Plaza and the Visitor Center and Learning Center. All three are free to visit. 

 

  The Tower of Voices is a 93- foot-tall musical instrument/monument that is unlike any other structure in the world. It holds 40 giant wind chimes that represent the 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93. Each is tuned to a different key.    

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   The architecture of the Visitor Center and Memorial Plaza are laid out to align with the exact path that Flight 93 took just before crashing into a nearby field. This stunning feature can be experienced from several vantage points in the park. An observation deck at the Visitor Center overlooks the crash site from above, while a series of hiking trails passes through the plaza and crash site area, creating a giant loop trek. All of the architecture and memorial walls point to a bolder that now marks the location of the crash site. The grass that grows above the now covered impact crater still looks different from the older grass that surrounds it, even 22 years later.  

   

   The Memorial Plaza contains a beautiful walkway and a memorial wall that has the names of each passenger engraved on it. A series of outdoor exhibits in the plaza explain the events of 9/11, as well as the investigation that followed and the event’s aftermath.   

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   The Visitor Center contains even more detailed and moving exhibits and tributes.   

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   In all, more than an hour can be spent at the Flight 93 National Memorial, if not longer.    

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   Not too far from Pennsylvania is a cluster of memorials and monuments in the Cleveland area, and then another in Tiffin and Toledo. The memorials in Cleveland are mostly located next to fire stations, and are always not too far from Lake Erie.     

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   Closer to home, there are 9/11 monuments in Beavercreek, Fairborn, Kettering and Urbana (pictured above right). All of them are unique and special in their own way, and each is worth the short drive to see.  

 

   Whether taking a long road trip, or a series of day trips, visiting Ohio’s 9/11 memorials (and those nearby) can be a great way to reflect on the 22nd anniversary of the event. It’s also a way to teach our children and grandchildren about the historical events that happened that day, and to see and experience the wonderful things that people can do when honoring their heroes and loved ones.   

   

   Additionally, the Miami Valley Veterans Museum in Troy houses a scale model of the World Trade Center and a piece of wreckage from the World Trade Center. Both can be viewed during regular museum hours. 

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   The following images and map above show just some of the 9/11 memorials that can be visited in Ohio. For a comprehensive list of all the memorials in Ohio and throughout the United States, visit 911rememberedthetravelingmemorial.org.