‘Ride with the 40'

She's traveled to the field in rural Pennsylvania to see the footprint of the plane in the ground. She snapped photos of the 40 names etched on the memorial to take home and read again, one by one.

Rae Killebrew-Amadio wanted to do something more to honor the actions of 40 men and women who brought United Airlines Flight 93 down on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, before the aircraft could dive-bomb a target in the Washington, D.C., area.

So she got on her 2009 Harley-Davidson in Ohio last week, rode to Newark, N.J., then set out for California.

Killebrew-Amadio, who will turn 69 years old next week, is riding across the U.S. in 10 days as part of a larger, ongoing effort to raise $30 million for a Flight 93 memorial in Shanksville, Pa.

Six days before the ninth anniversary of 9/11, Killebrew-Amadio and 30 motorcycle escorts roared into Omaha, rolling under a massive U.S. flag strung between the ladders of two city firetrucks before they stopped.

“I always wanted to do a coast-to-coast ride,” Killebrew-Amadio said. “What better way to complete my dream?”

Killebrew-Amadio is one of the key members of a grass-roots effort known as the “Ride with the 40,” which seeks private donations and corporate sponsorships to secure enough money to build a memorial on the 2,200 acres of Pennsylvania farmland where Flight 93 fell.

“When I decided I wanted to do this, I didn't give it a lot of thought. When I realized what this involved, I said ‘Oh my gosh, I have to be a part of that,'” Killebrew-Amadio said.

Now retired from a career in the telecommunications industry, Killebrew-Amadio said she originally thought she'd be the only woman to ride in the event. Soon after signing up, she realized she'd be riding alone.

Not alone, exactly, but with the help of two-wheeled volunteers who join her along her route. Roughly 40 members of local Patriot Guard and American Legion riders joined her on Sunday's 250-mile ride from Coralville, Iowa, to Omaha. Killebrew-Amadio departs Monday for a 415-mile jaunt to Sidney, Neb. She's scheduled to arrive in San Francisco on Sept. 11.

The ride so far has been complicated by high winds and rain.

“I can't tell you how hard it is to ride a motorcycle for three hours. To do it for 3,000 miles is a pretty big endeavour,” said Jon Bozak, an event coordinator who follows Killebrew-Amadio in a car and handles logistics.

“All I want to do is go up to her and hug her and tell her how much respect I have for her,” he said.

Killebrew-Amadio is keeping a journal of her travels. It's stuffed with notes about dedicated volunteers, cheering crowds that greet her in various cities. It's dedicated to the people who died in that Pennsylvania field, people who took action to save the lives of others.

“I'm very humbled and so very honored,” she said. “It's something I'll never forget.”

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