First ladies at Sept. 11 memorial

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Michelle Obama and Laura Bush will speak at a Sept. 11 ceremony at Pennsylvania's future site of the Flight 93 National Memorial, officials say.

The ceremony, sponsored by the National Park Foundation, honors the 40 passengers and crew of United Flight 93 who died when the jetliner crashed in a field Sept. 11, 2001, while they attempted to regain control of the aircraft from terrorists who had hijacked it, a park service release said Monday. The hijacking occurred the same day two other commandeered jetliners were flowing into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York and another plowed into the Pentagon in Washington.

The memorial is under construction with a projected dedication Sept. 11, 2011.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell also are scheduled to be in attendance, the release said.

"We are deeply honored to welcome first lady Michelle Obama, [former first lady] Mrs. Laura Bush and all of our guests to this important event," said Neil Mulholland, president and chief executive officer of the foundation.

"Their show of support honors the lives and memories of these 40 heroes and everyone we lost on Sept. 11, and serves as a valuable reminder of how important this memorial is to preserve and share their story."