"911" a Arlington Travel Page by SharrieShaw

Sep. 11, 2006.

Sep. 11, 1941 - It was this day that Pentagon was first constructed. 1941!!! Before WWII!

Sep. 11, 2001 - It was 5 years ago that very day the Pentagon was under attacked by the terrorists! 60 years to the day after it first began construction.

Sep. 11, 2006 - It is today, 5 years later, I began writing about Arlington, where the Pentagon is still proudly standing.

Arlington is the home of the Pentagon.
The Pentagon is the home of the Department of Defense of the most powerful country in the world, namely the United States of America.
Yet, it was 5 years ago this military might was threatened. About 184 people died on the day Americans & the world have come to know it as the day that the most powerful country was challenged on its very own soil. Liberty & freedom were instantly challenged & consequently defended. Democracy was questioned & in the process United States waged war against Iraq & against all terrorists of the world, namely the Al-Qaeda faction & Osama bin Laden.

Incidentally, 911 (9/11) is also the emergency number to call in the U.S.
Unlike many countries in the world where 999 was commonly & popularly used for calls for help, 911 is the number that's in use in the U.S.
Is it coincidental? Or is it planned?

No one will ever forget 9/11 in the U.S.
Not many in the U.S. don't know about the Pentagon either.

Yet, I've a story to relate.
A story that I found bizarre.
As I was leaving DC the other day on the flight, it flew over the Pentagon & provided me with a great opportunity to take this picture & some that you will see on this page.
Next to me, I later found out was a congress lady from Texas. She claimed.
I thought I knew how the Pentagon looked but I wanted to make sure it was indeed this building as I wasn't expecting to fly over it & b4 this I didn't know exactly where Pentagon was located. So, I simply popped her the question & showed her the picture. She had no clue if this building was indeed the Pentagon!!! & just b4 this, she was telling me she flew out of DC at least twice a month! Imagine my surprise!!! How could she not know? How could she not?!?!?! Unless she was not a congresswoman!!!
Well, this is the end of my story.
Not to prove anything or to judge anyone, but simply to say that sometimes a little knowledge is even more dangerous than not knowing anything!

I was watching National Geographic (Feature on week of 9/11) last night & it was featuring the Pentagon & an analysis of how much damages flight AA77 inflicted on impact when it crashed into the Pentagon at 9.38 am Sep. 11, 2001! It was interesting to know that the construction material used in 1941 saved a lot more people from being killed that very day. The steel reinforcements in all its columns only had 50 columns or so damaged but saved the entire building from collapsing. This would not have saved the building had it been built in recent years. In addition, the bomb proof (yes, bomb proof!) windows & the newly installed sprinklers also did what they were supposed to do. But most importantly, upon hitting part of
Wedge 1 (the newly renovated portion of the Pentagon then) & then into the vacant Wedge 2 (where most employees (some 3000 or so) had been relocated due to that section undergoing renovation then) the entire building was able to remain intact & not collapsing like both towers of World Trade Center did in NYC. This was due to the construction design of 1941! That very design had saved the Pentagon from total destruction! Amazing, don't u think?

Sep. 11, 2001 - It was also a day my parents & sister were on a UA flight to San Francisco which was due to land about 2 hours after tragedy striked in New York & Arlington. It was a day I prayed very hard, not only for my family who were on board but also for all those whom I had not known of. It was a close call for many of us.

Sep. 11, 2006 - What have we all learned?