9/11 Exhibit and Memorial

This year for the first time I've been able to look the 9/11 anniversary head on, without holding it at arms' length to keep the personal baggage tied to it away.  I'm finding that either I forgot a lot, or never knew it.  And somehow, it seems new to me to think that the US was actually attacked....just as surely as we were at Pearl Harbor.

More photos here:  9/11 Exhibit and Memorial

The poster below is from one of the photos on display at the "Still Standing -- Still Free" exhibit at Arlington.  The exhibit includes photos from several photographers who were on the site of the Pentagon crash very quickly.  It also had video which was overlaid with the emergency radio "talk."  The voices were all so calm and professional, even when saying things like "we have reports of people on fire in section 3."

I talked to one photographer who was on the scene within five minutes, and because in all the chaos crowd control was not a top priority, he was able to shoot for about 1 1/2 hours before being pushed further back.  He had some incredible memories to share.

One thing I didn't realize, but was clear from the tape, is how they were very much aware that the two towers had been hit 20 minutes apart, and gave notice when it had been 15 minutes since the Pentagon strike.  Then they had to call for the responders to halt and back away because they had reports of a hijacked plane 20 minutes out of DC (which of course turned out to be Flight 93, which went down in PA).

I had at first planned to go back out to the Pentagon Memorial on 9/11, but then realized the Obamas were going, so knew it would be closed down.  Instead, I went to Arlington Cemetery, and saw the memorial there to the victims, many of whom are buried in this area.

I had a rather unnerving experience while in this fairly remote part of the cemetery.  As I approached, the one person I saw taking pictures walked quickly away, saying "I don't know who you are, and if you don't stop trying to talk to me I am going to call 911."  As she disappeared, I looked around and there was a man approaching, asking if I was going to run away also.  He said the last time he'd been out here was the day before he left for Afghanistan, where "they" had tried to kill him and had broken both his arms (which he held gingerly in front of him).  I wasn't sure if he was really talking to me or to himself, as he said this several times, adding "and no one even cares."  He seemed very close to a breakdown of some sort.  I was torn between wanting to be compassionate, and realizing that I was out in a remote part of the cemetery with an unstable man.

I still don't know how much of his story was true.  He wanted me to take a picture with his phone of him with the memorial, and he sat down at the base and put some of the yellow roses in his pocket.  The way he was positioned, I know the picture is going to look like he is lying down dead, but I was not about to offer commentary.  He could get back up on his knees, but I had to brace my arm under his for him to pull himself up.  I asked how long he'd been back from Afghanistan, which he did not answer, and asked if he'd been Air Force, Army, or what--to which he replied "Special Forces, but I can't tell you what I did."  He said I was very nice, gave me a hug, and went to the cab he'd left waiting (oh, good...there really was *someone* else out there!).  Before I could get my photos and get totally out of the area, he brought the cab driver back over to look at the memorial.  They did not stay long, because as I stopped to take a swig of my water, they drove by and I heard the man say "there is that very pretty girl!"

No matter how much of his story was true, it was obvious this man was unstable.  There is more than one way to "give your life" for your country, if indeed he was in Afghanistan.