Pentagon Memorial

After the 9-11 attacks, a makeshift memorial was created along a wall of Arlington National Cemetery opposite of the wing of the building where the plane hit. I walked over from my apartment in Pentagon City one night to visit. I was quite touched by what I saw.

As I was there, a storm was moving in. I made it back to my apartment building just as the rain was beginning to fall. I returned to my darkened 10th floor apartment and, as lightning flashed outside, looked back at where the gap in the building where the plane had struck.

Living there at that time was pretty scary, wondering what might happen next. What I remember vividly was the silence. Air traffic into National Airport had been suspended. But, there were planes up there.

Late at night when everything was quiet, I could lie in bed and listen to the fighter jets as they circled over head, on constant guard for another attack. The sound would appear, fade out and then reappear a short time later. it was eerie thing to hear as I drifted off into a frequently uneasy sleep.