Why the military unfurls a giant U.S. flag down the side of the Pentagon on Sept. 11
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Version 0 of 1. America Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon 13 years ago on Thursday, the third plane hijacked by terrorists to strike major American targets that day. It struck at 9:37 a.m. — after two airliners had crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York, but before the massive structures collapsed, killing thousands. At the Pentagon, the crash shook the building so hard that many inside wondered if there had been an earthquake. One hundred eight-four people were killed, ranging from Army Lt. Gen. Timothy J. Maude to rank-and-file service members and civilians working in the building. As this Defense Department account recalls, the military unfurled a massive flag down the side of the building, just to the right of where the wreckage of the crash smoldered. Army Maj. Gen. Jim Jackson, commanding general at the time of the Military District of Washington, called for one at nearby Fort Myer, Va., and the U.S. Army Band sent a garrison flag — the largest authorized in the military, at about 20 feet by 38 feet. The flag flew for one month, but the Pentagon has continued the tradition. As the video above shows, a U.S. flag was unfurled at daybreak from the side of the building Thursday morning. It appeared prominently at the memorial service. The original flag is now kept at the U.S. Army Center for Military History at Fort McNair in Washington. |