One day after the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the Pentagon Memorial broke ground on a new Visitor Education Center. The center will guide guests through a historical timeline of that day and show how the country responded in the years that followed, all designed to work alongside the memorial grounds where 184 benches honor the 184 people killed when hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 struck the building.
For families of the victims, the center is personal. Jim Laychak, whose brother Dave died in the attack, said the goal is to remind people of the events of 9/11 and to make sure their loved ones are not forgotten. Senator Mark Warner echoed that sentiment, noting there was a tragedy in New York, but also at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, and all the victims deserve to be remembered.
The groundbreaking arrives as the nation wrestles with how 9/11 is taught a generation later, and it’s a question that resonates here on the Suncoast, where many retirees and longtime residents carry their own memories of that morning. Memorials preserve names. Education centers preserve understanding. This one aims to do both.
What do you hope future visitors take away from the new center? Tell us in the comments.
