For 24 years I worked in the Navy Annex across the street from the Pentagon. The last time I was in the Pentagon was for a Frocking ceremony for one of my favorite Naval Aviators who had just made admiral. Jay Johnson, the Chief of Naval Operations at the time, invited me and another civilian from the Annex. We were always treated as members of the US Naval Aviation family. On September 11, 2001, I was working for the Office of Justice Programs where we gathered in the conference room to watch as the planes flew into the Twin Towers. While I was away from my desk, my daughter called from Vermont to tell me that she just heard about a plane crashing into the Pentagon. Her phone message was filled with tears, sorrow, and fear. I went to the prayer service at the Pentagon that Friday only to be turned away for security reasons. That's when I found my way to the top of a hill overlooking the damage done to our country's military fortress. The picture I was able to take is to honor all the people, civilians and military, I've known and loved all these years.