Probably the most photographed sign. Behind it is the Pentagon building. Slightly to the left – the Pentagon memorial. Today, on the fifteenth anniversary of the tragedy, I visited there. In honor of the 184 victims, 184 marble-lined benches with names were placed. Under each bench, there is an open mini-pool with water, illuminated at night.
The benches are arranged along “age lines” according to the age of the deceased, in ascending order (from 3 years to 71 years). On the outer side of the memorial, all lines converge into a similar “age” wall, consisting of blocks that “grow” a few inches every year. All benches are oriented in the direction of the strike on the building. However, the benches are placed differently: structures with the names of passengers face away from the Pentagon, while those with the names of Pentagon employees face the building.
The memorial was entirely funded by donations. Notably, of the $13.8 million raised, $1 million was donated by the government of Taiwan.
Hi, I'm Rauf Aliev. 