I watched the entire Pentagon Memorial dedication on TV two weeks ago today, and was especially touched by the song “There Are No Words”, sung by Kitty Donohoe. You can download the song from her website for free, and it can also be found on Kitty’s latest CD.
There Are No Words (click to listen)
There are no words.
There is no song.
Is there a balm that can heal these wounds that will last a lifetime long?
And when the stars have burned to dust,
Hand in hand we still will stand because we must.
In one single hour, in one single day
We were changed forever, something taken away
And there is no fire that can melt this heavy stone
That can bring back the voices and the spirits of our own.
All the brothers, sisters and lovers
All the friends that are gone
All the chairs that will be empty in the lives that will go on.
Can we ever forgive, though we never will forget
Can we believe in the milk of human goodness yet?
We were forged in freedom, we were born in liberty
We came here to stop the twisted arrows cast by tyranny
And we won’t bow down, we are strong of heart
We are a chain together that won’t be pulled apart.
There are no words.
There is no song.
Is there a balm that can heal these wounds that will last a lifetime long?
And when the stars have burned to dust,
Hand in hand we still will stand because we must.
written 9-11-2001 by Kitty Donohoe, Roheen Music BMI
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I was going to write about the Pentagon Memorial on the day it was dedicated, September 11th, but I didn’t find it appropriate to do so without having visited the site first.
The girls and I made the short journey to the memorial on a scorching hot Sunday morning. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel, or what I’d tell Maya when she asked me where we were going. After a 10-minute walk through the parking lot from the Pentagon Metro station, we had arrived.
You enter the memorial by crossing over a band of stone, set into the ground, that reads: September 11, 2001 9:37 a.m. This stone was cut from the original limestone walls of the Pentagon damaged in the attack and still bears scars from the fire.
Each of the 184 victims is memorialized by a wing-like, stainless steel bench, placed in rows according to year of birth, and aligned with the trajectory of Flight 77 into the building. The victim’s name is engraved at the end of the bench. If you look at a name and see the sky in the background, that person died on Flight 77. If you see the Pentagon in the background, that person died inside the building itself.
The first benches I came upon were those of the youngest victims of the attack on the Pentagon – Zoe and Dana Falkenberg, 8 and 3 years old, respectively. Zoe, her little sister Dana, and their parents, Charles and Leslie, were on their way to Australia when terrorists took over their plane. They were from University Park, Maryland.
Toys, stickers, flowers, and little American flags were placed at their benches. Since this is the first time I visited a new memorial, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. Should I sit on the bench or not? Looking around, it seemed like everyone felt a bit lost. Maybe not literally, but in thought.
Underneath each bench is a pool of water, which is lit at night. Even with the rumble of airplanes flying into nearby Reagan National Airport and the humming of traffic on the highway, you can still hear the flowing of the water, which is very calming.
Maple trees are scattered throughout the park. Currently they look a little weak from the transplanting, but I can just imagine how beautiful those trees will be once they mature. Maples were selected because they retain their leaves late into Fall and turn a deep red when the colors change. They will give nice shade to those that want to sit on a bench and take some time to reflect.
The ground is covered with pea gravel. My first thought was that this might not be permanent, since they had to rush to finish the memorial by September 11th. I later found out that the gravel’s purpose is to add to the sensory experience – you can hear the crunch of the pebbles underfoot with each step you take.
You can’t tell in the photo, but looking up at the Pentagon you can clearly see what section was rebuilt because the new limestone is lighter in color than the old. The Pentagon Memorial is elegant and simple, yet peaceful and intimate at the same time. Similar memorials are planned in New York and Pennsylvania, but are not yet completed.
Thinking about visiting? The Pentagon Memorial is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is accessible to the general public by Metro, private vehicle, and bus. However, due to parking constraints, Metro is your best bet. Photography is permitted within the park, but restricted everywhere else on Pentagon property.
For a 3-D virtual tour of the Pentagon Memorial, click here.
