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WASHINGTON, DC- This morning, Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr. (R-SC), joined many of his colleagues in honoring the lives of those who perished in the September 11th attacks at the dedication of the Pentagon Memorial. After the ceremony on the Pentagon grounds, Congressman Brown made the following statement:
“Seven years ago, our nation was forever changed by the terrorist attacks on American soil. Though we will never forget the terrible images of September 11, 2001, we will also never forget the heroism and strength of spirit exhibited across the country that morning and in the days that followed. This memorial is a testament to the 184 people killed on American Airlines Flight 77 and within the Pentagon that fateful morning, and the rebuilt Pentagon is a symbol of the strength of our nation. As we remember those who lost their lives that day in Washington, DC, New York and Pennsylvania, we must never forget the character that binds us all as Americans.”
The privately financed Pentagon Memorial Fund raised approximately $21 million for the construction of this memorial. The designers, Keith Kaseman and his wife Julie Beckman, were chosen through an international competition and their design features 184 benches built over a pool of water. Fifty nine of the benches face the Pentagon representing the passengers killed on American Airlines Flight 77 and the remaining 125 benches face the opposite direction memorializing those killed within the building. Each is engraved with the name of one of the people killed that day at the Pentagon.
In addition to attending the dedication of the Pentagon Memorial, Congressman Brown and his colleagues in the House unanimously passed a motion to recognize September 11th as a day of commemoration. The resolution declares that the House expresses its deepest condolences again to the friends, families and loved ones of the innocent victims of Sept. 11, 2001 and reaffirms that the American people will never forget the sacrifices made on and since Sept. 11, 2001, and will defeat those who attacked our nation through our shared determination, spirit and embrace of democratic values. Later today, Members of Congress will come to the House steps to remember those lost, just as they did seven years ago when smoke was still rising from the sites of the attacks.
Congressman Brown encourages Americans living in the post-9/11 world to not let fear govern their actions, and to exercise a heightened sense of vigilance while enjoying the freedoms which we continue to preserve.
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