The Pentagon - Washington DC

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Pentagon Memorial

Sacred Ground

"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 those who sacrifice that we may live in freedom. We will never forget."

REMEMBERING THE PAST

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE PENTAGON MEMORIAL

Six years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Pentagon has been restored, is in the process of being renovated, and is looking ahead to the completion of the Pentagon Memorial that will commemorate the 184 lives that were lost on that day in the building and onboard American Airlines Flight 77.

The Pentagon Renovation and Construction Program Office (PENREN) began the Phoenix Project on October 18, 2001, so named because of its representation of the hopeful image of the mythical bird rising from the ashes. Reducing the schedule of the original Wedge 1 renovation, the impacted portions of the Pentagon were demolished, rebuilt, and occupied in less than one year. The offi ces directly above the point of impact were occupied on August 15, 2002, 28 days ahead of schedule.

The western face of the Pentagon was restored, with only a piece of the charred limestone from the original wall serving as a special symbol of those who lost their lives. The completion of the Pentagon Memorial in September, 2008 will represent another remembrance of the tragedy of that day.

The groundbreaking on June 15, 2006 marked the beginning of construction on the Memorial. The park itself is designed to be a place of remembrance, refl ection, and renewal, and is structured in a highly specifi c and unique way. Consisting of 184 memorial units dedicated to each individual victim, the park is organized as a timeline of the victims’ ages, spanning from Dana Falkenberg, age 3, to John Yamnicky, age 71. Additionally, to distinguish victims on board Flight 77 from those who were inside the Pentagon, 59 memorial units face one direction, and 125 face the other. The park is also defi ned with an age wall: a wall that raises in height one inch per year relative to the age lines running along the memorial benches, growing from 3 inches above the perimeter bench at Dana’s memorial, to 71 inches above the bench at Mr. Yamnicky’s.

Since the groundbreaking last year, considerable progress has been made in the construction process. The metal topcasts for the memorial units are being fabricated in St. Louis, Missouri and shipped to Chicago, Illinois to complete the fi nish polishing. The memorial units will be staged at the polishing plant, and wrapped and shipped to the Memorial site from there. Currently, there are 32 topcasts out of the mold already and in various stages of initial polishing. During the current construction phase, setting the below-ground supply piping is followed by the installation of a sand and organic fi ll mixture to bring the surface of the park up to the top of the existing footings. Approximately 47 memorial unit basins have already been set in place, with each basin resting on two footings. These concrete reflecting pools will be below ground when the park is completed.

Lastly, the ongoing concrete pours at the perimeter bench foundations define the perimeter of the two acre Memorial Park, and are tangible evidence the Memorial is fi nally taking shape.