Visitor Education Center set to break ground this week honoring lives lost at the Pentagon on 9/11

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Pentagon, one of three sites attacked on September 11, 2001, will soon have a Visitor Education Center nearby to honor the lives lost and educate future generations, with construction set to begin this week in Arlington, Virginia. The attack on the Pentagon followed the devastation at the North and South towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. "Unfortunately, there were a lot of people in there that just, they died where they were at," retired Arlington County Fire Department deputy fire chief Michael Gowen said. "We saw one gentleman that was very close to a stairwell that almost made it." Gowen was only 2.5 years on the job when he got the call that help was needed at the Pentagon. "We were basically in and out of that building all day, either doing search and rescue. In one area, we were in; unfortunately, there were not any survivors," Gowen said. Outside the military's headquarters sits a 9/11 Pentagon Memorial dedicated to remembering the lives lost on that day. "Jennifer Lewis and Kenneth Lewis were a married couple on the plane and passed away together," Pentagon Memorial Fund executive director Joe Kornhoff said. "The youngest victim was 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg. This week, the Pentagon Memorial Fund is scheduled to break ground on a Visitor Education Center. It will feature 12 interactive exhibits detailing the timeline of the attack, the local first response, and the global impact that followed. There will also be a gallery of personal stories from survivors, military personnel and families impacted by the tragedy. "We remain the only site that doesn't have that dedicated visitor education center aspect, and it's incumbent upon us to educate this generation and future generations on the impacts of that day," Kornhoff said. The center is expected to open in 2029, fulfilling the promise to never forget the events of Sept. 11, 2001. "On 9/11, when we were asked to go into the Pentagon without all of our gear on and breathe that toxic air, we went in. We went through the door, and so I would like some of the people today to go through the door for us," Gowen said. Once completed, the center will serve as a permanent reminder of the heroism and sacrifice made 25 years ago. Keep watching for the latest from the Washington News Bureau: Make WXII12 a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source Make WXII12 a preferred source on Google Add Preferred Source