9-11 Pentagon Memorial (Gigi visit post #3)

I think everyone remembers where they were 12 years ago on September 11.  It was a scary and devastating day in America.  It was a day we reunited as a country as put our differences aisde to embrace each other and mourn those who lost their lives in the horrific events that took place that day. 

Gigi and I decided pay our respects to those who lost their lives at the Pentagon on that day.  After quite a bit of frustrating driving in DC and getting lost, we finally found the 9-11 Pentagon Memorial.  Turns out we were luck we got lost because the President gave a speech at the memorial that morning and I am sure we would not have been able to get in.  So once we arrived some of the clean up was taking place.

The website explains the design of the memorial in three parts:

Pentagon Memorial
"The Pentagon Memorial captures that moment in time at 9:37 a.m. when 184 lives became intertwined for eternity.  Each victim’s age and location at the time of the attack have been permanently inscribed into the Memorial by the unique placement and direction of each of the 184 Memorial Units."

"Elegant and simple, the Pentagon Memorial serves as a timeline of the victims’ ages, spanning from the youngest victim, three-year-old Dana Falkenberg, who was on board American Airlines Flight 77, to the oldest, John D. Yamnicky, 71, a Navy veteran, also aboard Flight 77 that morning."

The Pentagon Memorial Gateway
"The 184 Memorial Units within the Pentagon Memorial are located on the age line according to the year the victim was born.  The age lines, denoted by stainless steel strips that cross the Memorial, begin at the zero line, which spans from the Gateway to the entrance of the Memorial.  Etched into the granite zero line is the date and time of the attack:  “SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 9:37 A.M.”
Visitors to the Memorial may look up a victim’s name and birth year on the locator stone within the Pentagon Memorial Gateway.  On age lines with multiple victims, the Memorial Units are organized by birth date along that line."

The Memorial Units
"Each Memorial Unit is a cantilevered bench, a lighted pool of flowing water, and a permanent tribute, by name, to each victim, in one single element.  Each memorial bench is made of stainless steel and inlaid with smooth granite.  Each Memorial Unit contains a pool of water, reflecting light in the evenings onto the bench and surrounding gravel field.
Each Memorial Unit is also specifically positioned in the Memorial to distinguish victims who were in the Pentagon from those who were on board American Airlines Flight 77. At the 125 Memorial Units honoring the victims of the Pentagon, visitors see the victim’s name and the Pentagon in the same view. At the Memorial Units honoring the 59 lives lost on Flight 77, the visitor sees the victim’s name and the direction of the plane’s approach in the same view.
Victims from the same family are linked by a plaque at the end of the pool of water, which lists their family members who also died in the attack, forever binding the family together."

I try to be honest with Nico about things that occur and I explained to him that a little 3 year old girl had passed on this plane flight.  He wanted to take a picture with "her."  He seemed to feel empathy towards her and the situation even though it was so abstract.

 

1930 was the year marker for the oldest person who lost their lives that day.

 Nico's beautiful innocence while he plays with his toys in the middle of the memorial

Names of all the victims who lost their lives at the Pentagon that day.