SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — The families of the passengers and crew aboard United Flight 93 recalled their loved ones as heroes who made history with unselfish and quick actions.

“In a period of 22 minutes, our loved ones made history,” said Gordon Felt, the president of the Families of Flight 93, whose brother, Edward, was among the 33 passengers and seven crew members aboard the hijacked plane on Sept. 11, 2001.

Families of those aboard the plane, along with nearly 200 more people, read the names aloud and bells tolled this morning, as they marked the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Flight 93 was traveling from Newark, N.J., to San Francisco when it was hijacked with the likely goal of crashing it into the White House or Capitol.

As passenger Todd Beamer issued the rallying cry “Let’s roll,” he and several fellow passengers rushed down the airliner’s aisle to try to overwhelm the hijackers after learning of the coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

As the names were read, a light haze began to burn off the surrounding hills. The memorial wall of white stone has each victim’s name engraved on a separate panel, and the scene was framed by yellow wildflowers behind the stones.

U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell recalled the sacrifice the passengers made.

“We never know when we’ll be called to lay down our lives for others,” she said, speaking of the bravery of passengers and crew who fought back against the hijackers.

Later today, park rangers and volunteers will give presentations about Flight 93 and the creation of the memorial park, which is located in Shanksville, about 75 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.