Pentagon Memorial, Arlington (must see)

The Pentagon Memorial honors the 184 people who died when hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. on September 11, 2001. The victims included 125 military and civilian personnel inside the building and 59 passengers and crew members aboard the aircraft, excluding the five hijackers. Dedicated on September 11, 2008, the two-acre memorial commemorates victims ranging in age from three-year-old Dana Falkenberg to 71-year-old John D. Yamnicky.

The memorial contains 184 individual units arranged along stainless-steel age lines according to each victim’s birth year. Every unit consists of a cantilevered stainless-steel bench inlaid with granite, the victim’s name, and an illuminated pool of flowing water. Benches honoring people aboard Flight 77 are oriented so visitors face the sky and the direction of the aircraft’s approach while reading the name. Benches representing those killed inside are positioned so the victim’s name and the Pentagon appear together in the same view. Plaques beside some pools identify family members who died together. Other features include an Age Wall rising from three to 71 inches, reflecting the ages of the youngest and oldest victims, together with trees, ornamental grasses, pathways, and gravel surfaces.

Architects Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman developed the design, selected from more than 1,100 submissions in an international competition. The memorial provides a permanent setting for individual reflection and collective remembrance. It is also associated with the annual September 11 observance attended by victims’ families, survivors, military personnel, government officials, and other guests honoring those who died in the attack.