At the memorial site, the flags of the United States and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania were at half-mast, fully unfurled and flapping in the wind, sounding like a herd of galloping horses.

Sen. John McCain and his wife Cindy arrived for a memorial service for those who died aboard Flight 93 shortly before 10 a.m. and greeted the families of the victims and about a thousand supporters who had amassed for the ceremony.

As the candidate entered, onlookers began screaming "There he is! There he is! Go John!

"God Bless You. The next president of the U.S!"

Gov. Ed Rendell arrived soon after and introduced the Republican presidential hopeful to the crowd.

"I'd like to welcome Sen. McCain," Rendell said. "It's an honor to have him here, not just as a presidential candidate but as a great American patriot who sacrificed much."

McCain then addressed the adoring throng which included 250 Philadelphia-area residents who rode to the ceremonies in a caravan of five buses organized by radio host and Daily News columnist Michael Smerconish.

McCain lauded the passengers of Flight 93.

Their efforts, McCain said, "deprived our depraved and hateful enemies of their terrible triumph" because they "decided to fight back at the cost of their lives."

Before the ceremonies began, some attendees questioned when and why McCain was added to the agenda.

Several family members of the Flight 93 victims said they only learned yesterday that McCain would be speaking.

Some also questioned whether it was appropriate for McCain to use the occasion to make an appearance in a heavily contested state during a close presidential race.

Ed Root, a member of the Families of Flight 93, who lost his cousin Lorraine G. Bay on the flight, said there is a full range of opinions among the group, just as there is with any organzation when it comes to a political issue.

"If he [McCain] comes with the proper respect and to help raise awareness for the need for a permanent memorial we look on it favorably," said Root, a resident of Coopersburg, Pa., stressing that he was speaking for himself not the entire family association.

This year the solemn 9/11 events nationwide unfolded amid the presidential campaign, with McCain and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama scheduled to pay their respects at Ground Zero in New York City this afternoon and later attend a New York City forum on public service.

In a statement, Obama memorialized those who died seven years ago and expressed his appreciation for the rescue workers who strived to save them.

"Let us remember that the terrorists responsible for 9/11 are still at large, and must be brought to justice," Obama said.

The candidates agreed weeks ago to pull their campaign ads for the day and were to appear together tonight at a forum on volunteerism and service.

Mary Kudla, of Chester Springs, was one of the 250 area residents who rode to the ceremony in the Smerconish caravan.

Kudla, a retired product manager for a chemical company, seemed delighted to be at the wind swept memorial.

Kudla is also a McCain supporter, but said she didn't know the candidate would be there until she boarded the bus this morning.

"That was the cherry on top of it all," she said.

Kudla said she felt an obligation to attend the memorial service, "because it was 9/11 and I wanted to celebrate them, remember their lives.

"You can't forget," Kudla said, her voice choking with emotion. "I'm afraid we might be forgetting too frequently."

Her group planned to tour the field following the ceremonies.

Memorials are years away from being built in Pennsylvania and New York. The stalled, complex rebuilding of New York office towers, a transit station and memorial at ground zero led New York Gov. David Paterson to order a reevaluation of budgets and schedules for all projects. The Lower Manhattan Development Corp., the agency that owns the site, has said the planned 8-acre memorial might not completed by the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

As in past years, two bright blue beams of light will shine at night on the New York City skyline, in memory of the fallen towers.

At the Shanksville site, in addition to the ceremony, the families of the Flight 93 victims are actively involved in trying to make the temporary site a permanent memorial site. A federal law was passed to create the memorial park but funding has not beeen seucred. The families hope ceremonies such as today's event this will raise the profile.

A large placard in the field reads: "A common field one day; a field of honor forever."

Contact staff writer Michael Matza at 215-854-2541 mmatza@phillynews.com

Staff writer Sam Wood contributed to this article.