Senior DOD leaders and members of Congress, President Bush’s cabinet, and families of Pentagon employees gathered on June 15 for a groundbreaking ceremony, marking the start of construction for the Pentagon Memorial to commemorate the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. “Today we claim this ground for them, for their families, and for the brave servicemen and women who have volunteered to go out to meet our nation’s enemies,” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said of the victims during his remarks. The memorial will be completed in 2008 and will cover a two acre site with 184 illuminated benches that will represent each of the people killed during the attack.
Airmen scheduled to retire or separate early next year may have to wait a little longer for their official orders to do so, as the Air Force is running low on cash to cover moving expenses.