Dahlgren and Indian Head Remember 9/11 Victims
Employees and military personnel at both Naval Support Facility (NSF) Dahlgren and NSF Indian Head, along with family members and friends from the community, joined together to remember the lives lost at the Pentagon in terrorist attacks against the United States 10 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001.
Memorial services held at Dahlgren’s base theater and in the Town of Indian Head’s Village Green Pavilion involved emergency responders from the naval installations and local community, along with military members who took turns reading the names of the 184 lives lost at the Pentagon. As each name was read, a ceremonial bell tolled.
Both services started at 9:11 a.m., and both included display of small American flags, one each for the 184 victims from the Pentagon attack. Invocations were offered by NSASP chaplain Lt. Michael Geoghegan at Dahlgren, and at Indian Head by Lt.Cmdr. William Middleton, chaplain to the Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force.
The 150 people who turned out for the Dahlgren memorial service were welcomed by Capt. Catie Hanft, commanding officer for Naval Support Activity South Potomac.
“Ten years have now passed since that fateful morning. In that time, the nation has shed more tears than we will ever know,” Hanft said. “And though it must seem some days as though the world has moved on to other things, I know that those who lost their lives on that September morning are remembered in the heart of our nation, now and forever.”
Explaining that the memorial service was intended to be a tribute and remembrance for the victims from the Pentagon attack, to include Flight 77, Hanft emphasized the importance of remembering “those in and out of uniform who continue the fight against those who would harm us.”
Said Hanft, “Around the world, soldiers are fighting the War on Terrorism, creating the conditions for peace and helping to keep it, training for missions that are certain to come, protecting and defending our homeland, and transforming for the future.”
At the conclusion of the memorial service, Capt. Hanft invited attendees to take home the flags to display and serve as a reminder to continue to reflect on the sacrifice of the victims being honored.
At Indian Head, approximately 40 attendees were on hand for the memorial service, which was hosted by NSASP and the Town of Indian Head.
In his opening remarks for the event, NSASP executive officer Cmdr. Elvis Mikel remarked, “September 11th has been seared into the hearts and the consciousness of America. It is a day when we were attacked by a group of extremists who hated the values that we stand for as a nation. They thought attacking America would strike fear into our hearts and chaos into our society. They wanted to weaken us, but instead they strengthened us.”
Mikel acknowledged, “For the family and friends of loved ones lost that day, those events will never be forgotten. Today we come together as a family, as a community, to take some time out of our day to reaffirm our commitment to remember our fallen citizens.
“In gathering here, we pay tribute to those we lost. We recall the acts of heroism and courage that saved lives that day,” Mikel said, adding, “We still feel deeply the loss of 184 people who perished at the Pentagon that morning, including six Charles County residents; altogether 59 men, women, and children aboard American Airlines Flight 77; and 125 workers at the Pentagon from the Army, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Navy, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.”
Said Mikel, “At 0937 on September 11th, the Pentagon was transformed, transformed from the headquarters of our national military into a battlefield. But we drew resolve from that tragedy and the determination to take the battle to our enemies.
“As we mark this 10th anniversary of 9/11, I call on you to renew a pledge -- a pledge that many made that day and a pledge that many have continued to make and keep over the last 10 years -- that we will always keep in our hearts the memory of those who were killed on 9/11. We will never forget.”
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