Victims of Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon Memorial
Encyclopedia
The Victims of Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon Memorial is a memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....

 over a group burial site at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...

 in the United States. It commemorates the victims of the September 11 attack on The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...

. The memorial specifically honors the five individuals for whom no identifiable remains were found. However, a portion of the remains of 25 other victims are buried at the site. The names of the 125 Pentagon employees as well as the 59 non terrorist individuals (53 non terrorist passengers and 6 crewmembers) aboard American Airlines Flight 77
American Airlines Flight 77
American Airlines Flight 77 was American Airlines' daily scheduled morning transcontinental flight, from Washington Dulles International Airport, in Dulles, Virginia to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California...

 (which crashed into the building) are inscribed on the memorial.

Creation of the memorial

After the 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery Superintendent John C. Metzler, Jr.
John C. Metzler, Jr.
John C. Metzler, Jr. , is an American civil servant who was Superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, from 1991 to 2010. He achieved notoriety in the press at the end of his tenure due to the Arlington National Cemetery mismanagement controversy.-Early life:John C....

 realized that there was a strong likelihood that many of the victims might not have their remains identified, while other remains might be commingled. Many of the victims would be military personnel whose families could choose to have their loved ones buried at Arlington. This would necessitate a group burial at the cemetery, and an appropriate monument to mark the grave.

Metzler designed the memorial himself. He drew inspiration from the memorial to the 253 dead of the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...

 ship USS Serpens
USS Serpens (AK-97)
USS Serpens was a United States Coast Guard-manned in the service of the United States Navy in World War II. It was the first ship of the Navy to have this name. It is named after Serpens, a constellation in the northern hemisphere....

, which is located in the northern corner of Section 34 at Arlington National Cemetery. The Serpens memorial is octagonal in shape and lists the names of the dead on its side panels.

The Victims of Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon Memorial is a pentagonal granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...

 marker 4.5 feet (1.4 m) high. On five sides of the memorial along the top are inscribed the words "Victims of Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon September 11, 2001". Aluminum plaques, painted black, are inscribed with the names of the 184 victims of the terrorist attack. There are five plaques, one for each side of the marker. The names of those aboard Flight 77 are marked with a diamond in front of their name. The names of those for whom no remains could be identified are marked with a star in front of their name. A pentagonal base extends approximately 5 inches (12.7 cm) out and 5 inches (12.7 cm) down from the main body of the memorial.

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...

 commissioned the memorial. Granite Industries of Vermont, Inc., of Washington County, Vermont
Washington County, Vermont
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 59,534; Vermont's third-most populous county after Chittenden County and Rutland County. Its shire town is Montpelier, the state capital. The center of population of Vermont is located in Washington...

, provided the marker. (The company is also the sole provider of headstones for Arlington National Cemetery.) The stone was quarried near Danby, Vermont
Danby, Vermont
Danby is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,311 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.22%, is water.-Geology:...

, at a site 920 feet (280.4 m) underground and 1.25 miles (2 km) inside a mountain. Michael E. Cappetta, a stoneworker with Granite Industries, sculpted the marker. It was shipped on or about August 20, 2002, to the cemetery.

Identification of the dead

Identifying remains at the Pentagon was a lengthy and technically complex task. The speed at which the aircraft struck the building, as well as the intensity of the subsequent fire, left few human remains to be found. Furthermore, the fire so damaged the DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...

 in some remains that they were impossible to identify.
However, DNA analysis helped to identify many of the dead. Human remains were taken to a military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base
Dover Air Force Base
Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base located two miles southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware.-Units:...

 in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology was a US government institution concerned with diagnostic consultation, education, and research in the medical specialty of pathology. It was founded in 1862 as the Army Medical Museum and was located in Washington, DC on the grounds of the Walter Reed Army...

 conducted the DNA analysis. Polymerase chain reaction
Polymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction is a scientific technique in molecular biology to amplify a single or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence....

 was used to amplify the amount of usable DNA. The United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...

 had previously collected "bloodstain cards" from all its civilian and military employees, and the DNA on these cards was used to identify many remains. Families of those aboard Flight 77 provided DNA samples (from commonplace household items like combs or toothbrushes) for use in identifying their loved ones.

Not all the victims of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon qualified for burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Families of those who did often chose to bury the remains of their loved ones at a private cemetery. Sixty-four individuals who died at the Pentagon were buried at Arlington, and 57 of them were interred in Section 64, their headstones facing the Pentagon about 1100 feet (335.3 m) away to the southeast (visible through a few trees).

No remains could be identified for five victims:
  • Dana Falkenberg, age four, who was aboard American Airlines Flight 77 with her parents and older sister.
  • Colonel Ronald Golinski (United States Army
    United States Army
    The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

    , retired), age 60, a civilian worker at the Pentagon.
  • Electronics Technician 1st Class Ronald Hemenway (United States Navy
    United States Navy
    The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

    ), age 37.
  • James T. Lynch, age 55, a civilian video technician for the U.S. Navy.
  • Rhonda Rasmussen, age 44, a civilian worker for the U.S. Army.


In some cases, additional remains were discovered and identified after a person had already been buried by their families. Some families chose to add these remains to an existing grave. But 25 families chose to have these fragments interred during the group burial rather than disinter their loved ones or hold a second memorial service. The additional remains were cremated, mixed together, and placed in an urn which in turn was placed inside a single wooden coffin.

Five sets of remains were found but could not be identified. Military officials say that, by a process of elimination, they believed these remains to be those of the hijackers. Army Military District of Washington officials said the remains which were inextricably commingled were excluded from the burial so that there was no possibility that any terrorist remains were included. These terrorist and commingled remains were turned over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...

 (FBI) in February 2002. The FBI said the remains were "disposed of in a dignified manner'", although a very small amount of suspected terrorist remains were retained to aid in later criminal prosecutions.

Dedication

The Victims of Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon Memorial was dedicated on September 12, 2002.

A funeral service for the 30 victims was held at the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater
Arlington Memorial Amphitheater
The Arlington Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery, near the center of the Cemetery, is the home of the Tomb of the Unknowns where Unknown American Servicemembers from World War I, World War II, and Korea are interred. This site has also hosted the state funerals of many famous...

, the first time the amphitheater had held such a service since the interment of an unknown member of the armed forces representing Vietnam War dead in 1984. About 1,000 relatives attended the funeral service. The funeral was held the day after the one-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Many of these families felt the emotional strain was too much for two days of remembrances, and so chose not to attend the funeral. The September 12 funeral focused on the families of five victims whose remains could not be identified, although all victims were memorialized. United States Secretary of Defense
United States Secretary of Defense
The Secretary of Defense is the head and chief executive officer of the Department of Defense of the United States of America. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a Defense Minister in other countries...

 Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...

 and chaplains from each branch of the United States armed forces spoke, and United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 General Richard Myers
Richard Myers
Richard Bowman Myers is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force and served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chairman, Myers was the United States military's highest ranking uniformed officer....

, chairman of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States Armed Forces, and is the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council and the Secretary of Defense...

, attended. The United States Navy Band
United States Navy Band
The United States Navy Band, based at the historic Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., has served the nation as the official musical organization of the United States Navy since 1925...

 provided music.

After the funeral, the casket was carried from the amphitheater by an Armed Forces casket team composed of two representatives from each of the four branches of the United States military. The casket team carried the coffin to a horse-drawn caisson provided by and guided by the 3rd US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)
3rd US Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard)
The 3rd United States Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the US Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is Noli Me Tangere...

. The United States Army Band
United States Army Band
Founded in 1922, the United States Army Band – known as "Pershing's Own" – is the premier musical organization of the United States Army. Before 2002, the United States Army Band was the only Washington-based military band to have participated in a theater of foreign combat operations...

, an Army-Air Force honor guard
Honor guard
An honor guard, or ceremonial guard, is a ceremonial unit, usually military in nature and composed of volunteers who are carefully screened for their physical ability and dexterity...

 platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...

, a color guard
Color guard
In the military of the United States and other militaries, the color guard carries the National Color and other flags appropriate to its position in the chain of command. Typically these include a unit flag and a departmental flag...

 from all four services, and a Navy-Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 honor guard platoon led the caisson to the grave site.

The group burial site is located at the southern end of Section 64, near Patton Circle. The site is on a slight rise, which gives it a view of the Pentagon. Several hundred people attended the graveside service. Wilbert Funeral Services of Laurel, Maryland
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...

, provided a burial vault. The grave was dug several days in advance, a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...

 foundation for the memorial laid, and a specially-constructed burial vault
Burial vault (enclosure)
A burial vault is a sturdy box designed to protect the coffin inside of it. The body is placed within the coffin, which is then placed inside the vault. Body, coffin, and vault are buried. A burial vault serves as an outer enclosure for buried remains; the coffin serves as an inner enclosure.Vaults...

 placed on the foundation. The vault had a concrete core surrounded by three layers of bronze. It was lined with high-impact plastic, and the exterior encased in ABS plastic
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene is a common thermoplastic. Its melting point is approximately 105 °C ....

 to simulate marble. The seal of the U.S. Department of Defense and the name of the memorial was inscribed on the cover of the burial vault using a special process. Near the grave was the memorial itself, next to which was displayed a funeral wreath in the shape of a pentagon and made from 184 red carnations.

A rifle party gave a three-volley salute, and a bugle
Bugle
Bugle is a brass musical instrument.Bugle may also refer to:* Contrabass bugle, lowest-pitched instrument in the drum and bugle corps hornline* Bugle , common names of flowering plant genus Ajuga...

r provided by the Navy played Taps
Taps
"Taps" is a musical piece sounded by the U.S. military nightly to indicate that it is "lights out". The tune is also sometimes known as "Butterfields Lullaby", or by the lyrics of its second verse, "Day is Done". It is also played during flag ceremonies and funerals, generally on bugle or trumpet...

. The casket team secured and folded the American flag while the Army Band played America the Beautiful
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

. General Myers accepted the flag on behalf of the Pentagon. Grief counselors from Operation Solace (a group founded to assist the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks) were present to assist families after the service.

The memorial was installed over the group burial site about a week later. The burial vault was locked, concrete was poured over the vault to fill the grave, and the memorial emplaced once the concrete set.

Ponsford, Ltd., a company which provides conservation and curatorial services, maintains the monument and keeps it clean (as it does for all the monuments at Arlington National Cemetery).

Assessment of the memorial

The monument has not received much attention. A critic for the Washington Times, however, approvingly called it a "five-sided Rock of Ages". Paul Goldberger
Paul Goldberger
Paul Goldberger is the Architecture Critic for The New Yorker, where since 1997 he has written the magazine's celebrated "Sky Line" column. He also holds the Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture at The New School in New York City...

, architecture critic for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...

magazine, was more cautious. By inscribing the name of each victim, he said, the memorial risks becoming a private monument rather than a monument belonging to the entire nation or a symbol of something larger than an individual person.

External links

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