Pentagon

184 Dead - 77 passengers on a hi-jacked plane - 107 people in the Pentagon
The Pentagon is the largest office building in the world. Coated with Kevlar, (bulletproof material) yet
184 people still lost their lives to a terrible cause. The youngest to die that day was a three year-old, my age back in 2001. The oldest, 71 years of age, was a retired pilot. One entire family was completely wiped out.
Dana, 3
Zoe, 8
Lisa, 45
Charles, 44

The Flackenberg family boarded flight 77 from Washington D.C. not knowing what awaited them that terrible, tragic day.
                Walking through the memorial at the Pentagon building I realized all of this. 184 beautiful stone and metal benches that looked like wings/waves represent the dead. A small rectangular pool of water is placed under each bench giving it an unearthly feeling. As I stood listening to the crying around me, the heavens opened up and the fallen cried with us.
                I was three years old that terrible day, the same age as the youngest passenger on the plane. That little boy never got the chance at life that he deserved. Walking through the memorial remorse welled up inside me and tears streamed down my face. I found friends or friends found me, either way we stood there in the rain and in each other’s arms, heaving huge wracking sobs. We continued to walk hand-in-hand needing one another for support.
                Coming to the bench of the old captain I saw girls I used to be friends with but had grown apart from. Seeing them I lost it and all I did was sit on the ground and sob. Suddenly I felt arms around me and a voice telling me it would be OK. I looked up to find my best sworn enemy patting my back and cradling me. I learned something then, no matter how distant, once a best friend always a best friend.
                We walked back through holding each other and murmuring words of comfort. Before leaving I knelt to honor the eldest and youngest deceased. I kept it together two seconds longer and lost all my composure again. One of my friends was never really to keep her emotions and I found her wrapped in a chaperone’s arms. I will never forget that sight. My strong friend wrapped in the arms of an even stronger adult. I joined them in a hug-sob fest and we walked, all three of us, a while with our arms around each other.
                One of the girls from earlier stayed with me holding my free hand for support.