Having visited the memorial at the Pentagon, we knew what a special place these sites are and we wanted to play our respects while we were in the area.  So we followed the signs out of town and soon found ourselves in the middle of rolling fields full of lush, green grass.  A few miles later, we knew we had found the place.

Until the permanent memorial is built in 2011, this temporary memorial stands.  It is a reminder of what happened that fateful day when terrorists overtook the plane with the intent of attacking the Nation’s Capitol.  Instead of letting that happen, the people on board Flight 93 struggled to take back the plane.  As a result, it crashed onto this empty field.  Their actions that day probably saved hundreds if not thousands of people.  One of the lives they saved might have been the CPA’s.  He was working in one of the Senate office buildings on 9-11, and who knows how many workers in or near the Capitol were saved by their selfless actions.  The passengers and crew of Flight 93 are truly heroes and this memorial is dedicated to them.

It is staffed by National Park Service volunteers who are there to answer questions to the more than 150,000 visitors each year.

The memorial includes a 4o foot chain link fence (to represent the 40 people who were onboard) where visitors can leave personal items.

These items include hats,

clothing,

hand-written signs,

artwork,

license plates, and flags,

All of these items have been personalized to honor the fallen victims.  They are being collected and stored by the National Park Service and will most likely be used when the permanent memorial is built.

In addition to the chain link fence, various plaques and statues have been placed around the small courtyard.  Statues like this one that are adorned with rosary beads.

Or plaques such as this one submitted by the 9/11 Ride Foundation.  

Or this one which immortalizes the words spoken that day by the passengers as they went into action.  

Facing the crash site, rows of benches have the names of each of the passengers and crew written in bold lettering.

There is also a row of wooden angels representing each of the heroes.

Some have rosary beads adorning them, 

others have pictures.

Behind them, you can look into the distance and see the place where the plane actually went down.

A flag is there now, alone in the empty field.  

It marks the crash site which is 500 yards away from the memorial and is surrounded by a fence.  It is closed to the public and only family members of the victims are allowed to visit.  

But the memorial is open to the public, who can visit 365 days a year.  It is a lovely tribute to those courageous people who were aboard Flight 93.  And it is a powerful reminder to the rest of us to never forget their sacrifice.  

RESOURCES:

National Park Service

Permanent Memorial

Wikipedia

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Pentagon Memorial – September 11th

“Turn on your TV,” he said. 

“Why, what’s going on?”

“Just turn it on.”

I hung up the phone and then sat in horror while I watched the tragedy unfold as first the second and then the third plane crashed.  Along with the rest of America, I spent the next few hours glued to my television set.  My emotions changed from fear, to horror, and then sadness, and then back again.  I spent the next several days and even weeks reading everything I could about the people whose lives were forever altered by those terrible events.  I have never forgotten it, as I imagine, neither have you.

When September 11th came this year, I found it hard to believe that seven years had passed.  I was very happy to hear, after all of these years, that a memorial site has been created to honor the victims.  In fact, this past Thursday, Sept. 11th, the Pentagon Memorial was dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Pentagon crash. 

So it was with reverance and respect that the CPA and I paid a visit to the new memorial on Sunday. 

 The day was grey and overcast, which seemed fitting. 

A marker bears the names of the 184 victims who perished here, both in the Pentagon itself and those who were on the plane that crashed into the building. 

The design of the site includes a large open courtyard area that has a gravel floor and is surrounded by a stone wall.  The wall lists, in order, the birth years of the victims starting with the youngest and ending with the oldest. 

The year on the wall marks the row where you will find all victims who were born in that year.  In other words, the site is organized in rows by birth year of the victim. 

Each bench represents a different victim.  The bench has a small pool of water underneath that is lit at night by underwater lights. 

The name of the victim is written at the end of the bench.

Many benches were adorned with photos, books, or flags. Others had flowers.  It was truly heartbreaking.

There were some families who were together at the time of the crash.  Each of the family members has his/her own bench.  They are also recognized as a family by listing the head of the family on the bench and…

the names of the children and/or spouse underneath.

Just before we left, the sun broke free of the clouds.

What a beautiful tribute this memorial is.  While it will never replace those whose lives were lost, it will hopefully serve as a constant reminder that they were here.