IOWA CONGRESSMAN URGES SUPPORT OF PENTAGON MEMORIAL

 9/11 MEMORIAL WILL BE A PUBLIC PLACE TO REFLECT AND REMEMBER

WASHINGTON, DC – Iowans searching for a way to show their support and memory of the victims of September 11th are being asked to consider supporting a memorial effort on the grounds of the Pentagon.

On June 16, 2006, ground was broken for the privately funded memorial just yards away from where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.  The memorial, which is set to be completed in 2008, will span a two-acre park-like site and will contain 184 illuminated benches representing each of the people killed at the Pentagon on 9/11, with lighted reflecting pools beneath each bench.

“We wanted a place that would make people think but not tell them what to think,” stated James J. Laychak who lost his brother on 9/11 and is serving as the President of the Pentagon Memorial Fund.

Tom Heidenberger, who’s wife Michele was a flight attendant on Flight 77, notes that this is a memorial for all Americans.  “This will be a tribute to all of us who were alive on September 11 so that we don’t forget so that we always remember.”

While being built with private contributions, the permanent memorial is being built on the grounds of the Pentagon under the authorization of the United States Congress.

“I can’t think of a more positive and proper way to honor the victims of the Pentagon terrorist attacks than with this memorial.  It will allow all who visit this public space to remember and reflect on the events of 9/11,” said Iowa Congressman Tom Latham, a supporter of the project.

Additional information, which includes the history, progress reports, and images of the memorial, is located at the Pentagon Memorial Fund’s website: www.pentagonmemorial.net

Individuals wishing to contribute to the 501 (c)(3) organization can contribute online at the Memorial Fund’s website or by mail to: Pentagon Memorial Fund, Inc. - 5185 MacArthur Boulevard, NW Suite 115 - Washington, DC 20016.