Description: This boxed commemorative coin (issued earlier as recognition for a job well done) was recovered from the damaged Pentagon office of Maj. Warren Hoy.
Context: Maj. Warren Hoy was a survivor of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. His office was on the third floor of the D ring (the E ring is the exterior), and was directly above the path of the airplane as it slid through the first and second floors of E, D, and C rings. As the area filled with smoke, he helped an injured fellow worker escape from the building. In the Pentagon attack, 125 employees were killed and 140 were injured; on board the airplane, all 53 passengers, six crew members, and five hijackers were killed.
Comdr. Patrick Dunn, like all members of the U.S. armed forces, carried a military ID. This card was heavily burned in the fire that followed the crash of the hijacked airliner.
This commercially produced desk ornament of a baseball mounted on an engraved base was recovered from the damaged offices of the Pentagon. Reflecting a popular American attitude, the desk ornament is inscribed: Sometimes you just have to play hardball.
Description: Penny Elgas built a patriotic box to preserve this piece of American Airlines Flight 77, the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.
Context: Driving on a highway adjacent to the Pentagon on the morning of September 11, Penny Elgas stopped as she saw a passenger jet descend, clip a light pole near her, and then crash into the Pentagon. Arriving home, Elgas found this plane fragment in the back seat of her car (she theorizes that it dropped through the open sunroof). Feeling that it was her patriotic duty to preserve the fragment as a relic, she crafted a special box and lined it with red, white, and blue material.
This card was used by Comdr. Dunn to access the Pentagon athletic center. Physical fitness is very important to a fighting force; every member of the military must pass a rigorous physical exam twice a year. Military personnel are required to maintain a high level of physical training, or "PT." Visits to the gym also provide stress relief and an opportunity to interact with friends and colleagues.
The U.S. military has a long tradition of creating special coins and medallions to recognize special service, give away to visiting dignitaries, or honor other contributions. For the October 11, 2001, memorial event at the Pentagon, the Secretary of Defense commissioned C. Forbes, Inc., to design and produce these commemorative medallions and pins to honor those lost and injured in the September 11 attack on the Pentagon.
Colonel Mark Volk's uniform beret was left on his desk while he helped clear areas in the Pentagon. The eagle insignia, now tarnished and discolored, shows heat damage from the fire.
This large plaque contains the names of all 184 victims of the Pentagon attack. The seals across the bottom represent the Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. A copy of this plaque hangs in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfields Pentagon office.
Sword: This presentation sword, given to Captain Edward Johnson in 1848, has a straight and single-edged blade. The fuller runs the length of the blade and is shallow and broad. The obverse of the blade is decorated with laurel sprays and an eagle. The reverse also bears floral sprays, but instead of an eagle there is a "U.S." monogram inside of a sunburst. Both sides of the blade, particularly the obverse, have significant amounts of pitting, especially at the base and on the tip. The grip of the sword is hexagonal. The center of each panel has a different military trophy, and each are surrounded by laurel sprays. The pommel is vase shaped, and is decorated in engravings of laurel leaves and scroll designs. There sits a large piece of damaged and fractured glass on the very top of the pommel. The knuckleguard consists of a thin gold metal link chain. It hooks onto the pommel and extends down to one of two quillons. The two quillons are shaped like owls. The langet on the obverse bears a coat of arms surrounded by a floral wreath, and the reverse bears a shield surrounded by a similar wreath.
Scabbard: The scabbard has two gold mounts. Each have a star surrounded by a laurel wreath atop a sunburst design. The drag is decorated with floral sprays. The space between the mounts bears an inscription to Johnson surrounded by grape vines. More grape vines are found between the second mount and the drag at the bottom of the scabbard. There is also an engraving of an eagle and coat of arms in this space. The reverse bears the maker's mark and another inscription. There are two carrying tings on the scabbard, one on the right side of each mount.
Description: Ted Olson, U.S. solicitor general, received two calls on this office telephone from his wife, Barbara Olson, as her hijacked airplane headed toward the Pentagon.
Context: Telephones affected the way people experienced September 11. Barbara Olson, a well-known political commentator, made two phone calls to her husband while onboard American Airlines Flight 77 after it was hijacked by terrorists. She learned of the other hijacked planes and discussed with her husband what to do. Despite the terror of the situation, she remained cool and focused; her husband could only console her and listen. At 9:38 am, all fifty-three passengers, six crew members, and five hijackers were killed when the plane crashed into the Pentagon. All over the world, telephones mattered to people that day, as families and coworkers connected with each other to verify their safety or express their love.
Description: This Skilcraft electric wall clock, which hung in the Pentagon helipad fire station, was knocked to the ground by the impact of American Airlines flight 77 crashing into the Pentagon.
Context: When terrorists flew American Airlines flight 77 into the Pentagon, the crash nearly took the nearby Pentagon helipad firehouse with it. The concussion caused the ceiling of the firehouse to collapse, temporarily trapping firefighter Dennis Young in the fallen debris. The blast also knocked this clock from the wall, freezing it at 9:32. The airplane actually struck the Pentagon at 9:38 am; apparently the clock was six minutes slow.
This material from Officer Isaac Hoopii includes his uniform (shirt with insignia, trousers, boots, and name tag), his shield, his dog Vitos collar and shield, a K-9 patch, and a poster of Vito.
This material from Officer Isaac Hoopii includes his uniform (shirt with insignia, trousers, boots, and name tag), his shield, his dog Vitos collar and shield, a K-9 patch, and a poster of Vito.
This material from Officer Isaac Ho'opi'i includes his uniform (shirt with insignia, trousers, boots, and name tag), his shield, his dog Vito's collar and shield, a K-9 patch, and a poster of Vito.
The black beret is the standard-issue headgear worn by members of the U.S. Army. This damaged black beret, belonging to an unidentified lieutenant colonel, was recovered from the wreckage of the Pentagon.
Shell jacket worn by Private Alexander Hunter of the 17th Virginia Infantry, Army of Northern Virginia. The jacket was originally issued to a private in the 8th Virginia Infantry, but when that man was killed at the Second Battle of Manassas, August 31, 1862, his sister gave it to Hunter, who was wearing a tattered jacket at the time. Hunter continued to wear the jacket throughout the war, including his service with the 4th Virginia Cavalry, the "Black Horse Cavalry," and was wounded twice while wearing it. The single-breasted medium gray wool shell jacket has seven button holes down the front. The jacket is fully lined with green and brown brocade, with its sleeves lined in natural cotton. There is a breast slit pocket on the left side.
Description: This M&M dispenser, soot-covered calendar, and desk copy of the U.S. Army code were recovered from the Pentagon office of Charles A. Reimer, Deputy Division Chief, Strategic Leadership, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff Operations/Army G-3.
Context: Charles Reimer, a civilian employee for the Department of Defense, survived the terrorist attack on the Pentagon. His office was on the third floor of the D ring (the E ring is the exterior), and was directly above the path of the airplane as it slid through the first and second floors of E, D, and C rings. As flames shot up past the windows and the area filled with smoke, he helped a fellow worker escape from the building. In the Pentagon attack, 125 employees were killed and 140 were injured; on board the airplane, all 53 passengers, six crew members, and five hijackers were killed.