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Distance runners
talk about the
“bell lap.”
Horse trainers
talk about the
“home stretch.”
At most football
games, you see
players hold up
four fingers
signifying the
start of the
fourth quarter.
What do all
those
expressions have
in common? They
all recognize
that to finish a
race or game,
special effort
is needed. A
special effort
is required to
reach the goals
that those
individuals or
teams are trying
to achieve.
Nobody ever won
a game or a race
by coasting
through the
final moments of
the contest.
The Pentagon
Memorial broke
ground on June
15th. This was a
significant day
— a day that
marked the
beginning of
construction of
the memorial and
gave us a view
of the finish
line, which will
be a ceremony to
dedicate the
completed
memorial in the
fall of 2008.
That will no
doubt be a day
to cherish. It
will be a day in
which everyone
who remembers
the horror and
tragedy of
September 11th
will be able to
see a memorial
that not only
pays tribute to
the lives lost
on 9/11, but
also offers
returning
servicemen and
women a place to
visit and know
why they were
called to duty
in the Long
War.
The Pentagon
Memorial will be
on a 1.9 acre
park that sits
adjacent to the
west wall of the
Pentagon, within
sight of the
impact zone. The
park will be
filled with 184
cantilevered
benches that
rest over
reflecting pools
of water, one
for each of the
fallen. The
benches will be
aligned in order
of age from
youngest to
oldest. They
will be angled
toward the air
for those who
lost their lives
on Flight 77,
and toward the
Pentagon for
those whose
lives were
claimed in the
building. Each
bench will be
unique in its
position within
the park,
reminding us
that every life
lost was special
and unique. The
Pentagon
Memorial will
truly be a place
of remembrance,
reflection and
renewal.
Yet amid these
lofty thoughts,
today, tomorrow,
and next month
there remains
work to be
done.
Indeed, as the
President of the
Pentagon
Memorial Fund,
part of my job
is to create a
level of
excitement and
anticipation for
the memorial —
to let people
know what it
will look like
when complete
and how it will
impact visitors
who look at the
names on the
benches and
remember 9/11.
But in the
afterglow of the
groundbreaking
and recent
excitement, I
find myself
repeating one
message to
everyone I come
into contact
with, whether
they are a
family member, a
donor or an
interested
party. The
message is
simple — it is
time to finish
the job we
started. The
finish line is
not that far
away, and now is
when we need
everyone’s
support the
most.
The Pentagon
Memorial Fund
has reached the
halfway point in
our campaign to
raise the funds
needed to
construct the
Pentagon
Memorial, having
raised over $11
million of the
$22 million that
is needed. We
cannot coast or
rely on our past
accomplishments
in this regard.
We still need to
work very hard
to raise the
remaining funds,
to raise
awareness and to
make sure this
great memorial
is built.
For those who
have yet to
contribute I
invite you to
visit our web
site at
www.pentagonmemorial.net
and view the
design of what
will be a very
thought-provoking
memorial in a
city of very
special
memorials. If
you are in the
area, I invite
you to drive by
the Pentagon and
remember the
tragedy of the
9/11 attacks and
know that you
can be a part of
turning that
tragedy into a
powerful
reminder for all
Americans – a
reminder that
calls on
everyone to
never forget
what happened on
that terrible
day in September
five years
ago.
RF
James J.
Laychak is the
President of the
Pentagon
Memorial Fund.
He lost a
brother in the
attack on the
Pentagon on
September 11,
2001. |
