9/11 Pentagon Memorial

On September 11, I visited the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on that horrific day. The memorial is by far one of the most elegant, yet at the same time, simple tributes I've ever visited. The design of the memorial is interesting - each victim's age and location at the time of the attack are incorporated into the memorial by the unique placement and direction of 184 cantilevered benches, one for each of the victims. Each bench is made of stainless steel and inlaid with granite, with the name of the victim inscribed onto the side and a pool of flowing water underneath the bench. The 184 memorial benches are arranged on age lines according to the year the victim was born. The age lines are denoted by stainless steel strips that cut through the memorial landscape. Each bench is also specifically positioned to distinguish victims who were in the Pentagon from those who were on board Flight 77. If you can see the name of the victim and the Pentagon in the same view, then those were individuals who were in the Pentagon. For those that were on board Flight 77, you see the name and the direction of the plane's approach in the same view. The experience of visiting the memorial becomes moving when you understand these design elements - the very few benches near the entrance represent the young children that died on board Flight 77. The benches become more numerous and clustered as you make your way through the memorial, but then they are spaced further apart as you get closer to the bench of the oldest victim (71), although the spacing isn't nearly as dramatic as it appears at the entrance. The age range of the victims is also represented through the Age Wall. The Age Wall rises from 3 inches (the age of the youngest victim) to 71 inches (the age of the oldest victim). Visiting the memorial on September 11 was an upsetting, yet meaningful experience as many family members of the victims were in attendance. One woman even asked me if I had lost a relative in the tragedy - luckily I was able to answer "no." I would like to visit the memorial at night, as I was told there are reflecting lights that illuminate each of the benches.

-Corey