Travel with Terri
Arlington, Virginia: Places of honor and remembrance
Story and photos by Terri Marshall
As September arrives, we look to the twelfth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11th – an event that forever changed our nation. On my recent visit to Arlington, Virginia I paused to remember the events as they affected our capital. My visit included a tour of the Pentagon, the 9/11 Memorial and the Air Force Memorial. The experience was both exciting and emotional, and I would like to share it with you this month as you Travel with Terri.
I started with a tour of the Pentagon where each person was carefully screened before entering and where no one was going to get past the massive police officers with machine guns standing guard. I wisely resisted the temptation to ask to pose for a photo with the guns. Moving into the waiting area, I found a place to pose behind a podium where I declared myself temporarily in charge of the Department of Defense – to the horror of friends, family and Facebook friends.
We were introduced to our guide, Air Force Airman Trevor from Alabama. Trevor handles the VIP tours for the Pentagon and is extremely knowledgeable, as well as coordinated. He led the entire mile and one-half tour walking backwards never turning to look behind him – even while stepping onto the escalator.
The Pentagon consists of five rings – A through E. The building covers 583 acres and has 6,636,360 square feet of floor space. The total length of the corridors is 17.5 miles and the length of each outer wall is 921 feet. There are 131 stairways, 19 sets of escalators, 16,250 light fixtures, 284 restrooms, 692 drinking fountains and 7,754 windows! Approximately 23,000 people work in the building and it is truly a city within the city. There are also several shops and restaurants strictly for the use of building employees.
The five rings surround a center courtyard that encompasses five and a half acres. The park setting of the courtyard is one of the largest no hat, no salute zones within the continental United States.
We passed through the POW/MIA corridor where displays and flags pay special tribute to all prisoners of war as well as those missing in action. Corridors honoring General Douglas MacArthur, the Marines, Naval Aviation, the Coast Guard and the Air Force were some of the tributes we viewed as we traversed the massive hallways.
When American Airlines flight number 77 crashed into the Pentagon on September 11th, it entered into the side of the building’s E ring. Entering the E ring, I noticed that the walls are flanked with handmade memorial quilts from all over the world. The crash site is now a 9-11 Memorial commemorating those killed in the terrorist attack. Panels represent medals awarded to military and civilian casualties. Another panel displays all the names of the victims. The new Pentagon chapel is also attached to the Memorial.
Ground was broken for the building of the Pentagon on September 11, 1941 at 9:30 a.m. American Airlines flight number 77 crashed into the Pentagon on September 11, 2011 at 9:37 a.m. (after a slight take-off delay) 60 years to the day – and almost to the minute – of that groundbreaking. It is difficult to believe that was a coincidence.
With our tour concluded, we walked outside to visit the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. Erected in remembrance of the events of September 11, 2001, the Pentagon Memorial captures the moment in time when 184 souls were lost at the Pentagon and on American Airlines flight 77.
Each Memorial Unit within the park is a cantilevered bench made of stainless steel and inlaid with smooth granite. Underneath each unit there is a pool of flowing water and a permanent tribute, by name, to each victim. At night the pools reflect the lights mounted to the units and each morning at 9:37 a.m. the water in the pools stops flowing for one minute.
The Memorial Units are specifically positioned within the park to distinguish victims who were in the Pentagon from those who were on the airplane. The 125 Memorial Units honoring the victims of the Pentagon face the crash site in the Pentagon behind the Memorial. The Memorial Units honoring the 59 lives lost on Flight 77 face the sky from the direction the flight approached.
Within the Pentagon Memorial, 85 Crape Myrtle trees are clustered around the Memorial Units. The Memorial’s stabilized gravel surface is bordered on the western edge by an Age Wall. The Age Wall grows one inch per year in height above the perimeter bench relative to the age lines. As we moved through the Memorial, the wall grew higher. It begins at just three inches – the age of Dana Falkenberg, the youngest victim. At its highest it is 71 inches, the age of the oldest victim, John D. Yamnicky.
The peaceful Memorial serves as a place of remembrance and as an educational tool for children who were too young to remember the events of that horrific morning. Audio tours are available by dialing (202) 741-1004. See www.pentagonmemorial.org
The next stop on my afternoon of remembrance was the Air Force Memorial. Standing tall against the nation’s capital skyline, the Air Force Memorial overlooks the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. It honors the service and sacrifices of the men and women of the United States Air Force and its predecessor heritage organizations. The Memorial’s design includes three stainless steel spires soaring into the sky with the highest reaching 270 feet above the ground evoking a sense of flight and the flying spirit. The three spires are meant to be associated with the service’s three core values: Integrity first, Service before self and Excellence in all we do.
The Memorial also includes a bronze Honor Guard, an Air Force Heritage/Core Value inscription wall, a Courage/Sacrifice/Valor inscription wall and the Missing Man Formation contemplation wall, all landscaped to create a memorial lawn and parade ground overlooking the nation’s capital. See www.airforcememorial.org
The afternoon held moments of pride and patriotism and also moments of great sadness as we once again were reminded of the senseless losses of September 11th.
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Terri is a freelance writer with regular columns on travel, chocolate and bar reviews. She is busy each month visiting new places to bring unique travel destinations and events to you. Yes, it is a sacrifice – but she is willing to do that for her readers! You can see more of Terri’s writing at www.examiner.com where she is the National Chocolate Examiner and at www.barzz.net. Also, check out her blog atwww.trippingwithterri.com. You can contact Terri at [email protected].