Pentagon Memorial, Washington D.C.

The Victims of the Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon Memorial honors the 184 people killed on September 11, 2001, when al-Qaeda terrorists crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon. Indeed, this is one of Arlington National Cemetery’s most sober sites.

The memorial is marked by a granite monument shaped, appropriately, like a pentagon. Rising about 4.5 feet high, it carries the inscription: “Victims of Terrorist Attack on the Pentagon September 11, 2001.” Around it are five black-painted aluminum plaques, one for each side of the marker, listing the names of those who died inside the Pentagon and aboard Flight 77.

The details matter here. A small diamond before a name identifies someone who was on the plane. A star marks victims whose remains could not be identified. Even the base follows the same shape, extending slightly outward and downward from the monument, as if the pentagon form itself is anchoring the memory in place.

The memorial covers nearly two acres and was designed by John C. Metzler Jr., then superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery. It was commissioned by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs on September 12, 2002, exactly one year and one day after the attack. Like many memorials at Arlington, it does not try to overwhelm visitors with grandeur. Instead, it asks for something quieter: attention, respect, and a moment to read the names...