September 10, 2008

It's been a busy month. Not much time for blogging, and what spare time I had I used for a few Soldiers’ Angels volunteer activities (another lunch at Bethesda, the memorial Run for the Fallen 10k, and the 2008 National Freedom Walk [which had a terrific turnout!]) and to write to my adopted soldiers.

However, work has finally hit a lull, so I got a chance to take a walk across town after work tonight, something I really enjoy doing. On my walks, I pass by the mid-rise office and county buildings in Rosslyn, VA which are just across the Potomac from DC. They do it every year, but I happened to notice workers atop one of the buildings hanging their huge American flag down the side of the building. The neighboring buildings already had their flags hung, and the flag at the Pentagon has been up for over a week. I stopped near the Marine Corps Memorial to take a quick photo of some of the flags.

It’s a beautiful night in Washington, DC/Arlington,VA and somehow seeing them hang one of the tribute flags while I watched made it even more special. It certainly brings to mind the flag that draped the side of the Pentagon seven years ago this week. Tomorrow I have the privilege of attending the dedication of the Pentagon’s 9-11 Memorial. You can find more information about the memorial at that link above. Here’s a brief description:

“Located just outside the Pentagon, the memorial park features 184 granite-topped, stainless-steel “sculptural elements” that represent the 125 lives lost in the Pentagon and the 59 deaths aboard American Airlines Flight 77. Each element has a reflecting pool of water at its base, which is flood-lit in the evening. The families of the attack victims had a hand in the memorial’s design.”

I’ll share more tomorrow.

I wore one of my Soldiers’ Angels shirts on my walk tonight, because the anniversary of 9-11 also reminds me of this George Orwell quote:

“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

Remembering those killed seven years ago, and those fighting to reduce the chances that something similar ever happens again. Godspeed.