While in DC this summer, we visited the Pentagon Memorial. Words cannot express the emotions that race through your mind as your reading the victim’s names. Even though you can still hear traffic in the distance, there is a sense of peace and solemness.
The wall that surrounds the memorial is designed to remind visitors of the youngest and the oldest victims. It stands 3 inches tall at its beginning, representing the youngest person killed there – Dana Falkenberg – and continues to the oldest victim, retired U.S. Navy Capt. John D Yamnicky Sr.
The infamous date and time “September 11, 2001 – 9:37 a.m. ” -the exact moment of the attack on the Pentagon is carved on a stone that was recovered from the smoldering ruins of the Pentagon.
The benches are made of steel and granite, they are laid out in particular pattern according to the year each victim was born. Each bench has the name of the victim. The names face east or west depending on where the victims were when they died . If the victim was on the plane, visitors read the name as they look toward the western sky. If the person was inside the Pentagon, you read the name looking at the building, facing east. A reflecting pool is under each bench, adding to the feeling of tranquility.
Barbara K. Olson 45, called her husband and told him terrorists had taken control of the plane, those were her last words to him.
At the entrance to the memorial 184 names are listed next to the following:
“We claim this ground in remembrance of the events of September 11, 2001. To honor the 184 people whose lives were lost, their families, and all who sacrifice that we may live in freedom. We will never forget.”
