Friday, September 11, 2009

Ground Zero and The Overlooked Grounds

Ground Zero and The Overlooked Grounds
I am afraid that most people who remember 9/11 think mainly of Ground Zero where the Twin Towers once stood tall against the sky. Maybe it is the very large number of people who died there (2752) or maybe it is the incredible fascination with the height of these downed towers that causes people to think of New York City when remembering what occurred on 9/11. But I like to remind everyone that two other grounds need to be commemorated today. Namely the Pentagon building and grounds in Arlington, Virginia and the the field at Shankesville, PA.
Only 40 people died at Shankesville but their heroic actions that day on that doomed plane saved either the White House or the U.S. Capitol from being obliterated.
Anyone who lived in Northern Virginia in 2001 will remember the frightening moment when they heard that the Pentagon had been attacked. My younger daughter's roomie, Maria, has related how her mother and their neighbors who lived a couple miles from the Pentagon heard the loud boom of the plane crashing into the Pentagon building while also hearing all the dishes and glasses in their cupboards rattling and shaking. That is not something you will ever forget. And in the months following the crash at the Pentagon anyone traveling along the interstate unfortunately could see the damage to the Pentagon and become extremely sad and depressed
New York: 2752 deaths
Arlington's Pentagon: 184 deaths
The Field at Shankesville, PA: 40 deaths
Let's Remember Them All

3 comments:

Martha said...

Beautiful post.

Patty said...

Great post. Sad day.

Barb said...

Indeed, I'm remembering. Thank you for your moving post.