Day 4 - Freedom is not free
9/11 changed New York forever. We no doubt remember the collapse of the Twin
Towers and the horror that killed nearly 2,600 people in New York that day. Maybe
the drama of Washington DC is easier
forgotten, but DC was not spared that day either.
It is a sober memorial, but full of symbolism. Each commemorative bench bears the name of the victim. They are lined up via timelines, each representing the birth year of the victims in chronological order. The youngest victim was the 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg, the oldest the 71-year-old John D. Yamnicky. There is a reflecting illuminated pond below each bench. The benches are set up in such a way that it is immediately clear who was in the Pentagon and who was on board the aircraft. For the victims of the Pentagon, you see the name (which is placed on one side of the bench) and the Pentagon at the same glance. For the victims on board the plane, the benches are turned around and you see the name at the same glance as the flight path of the plane.
The damage to the Pentagon, which was nevertheless considerable given it was about 10% of the building, was repaired as quickly as possible. From the Memorial, the restored wing is clearly visible due to the color difference. The quarry from which the original bricks came, was reopened by former President George Bush, to be able to rebuild the wing. The wing was finished in just one year. One original stone was put into the new wall. This wing is the main goal of our visit to the Pentagon today. Although I applied for the tour months ago, I only heard on Friday that I am being admitted. Not that we're going to see a lot of secrets. The Pentagon does have a name where everyone thinks of ultra-secret information, but the Pentagon is nothing more or less than the US Department of Defense. No secret shelters here, no secret storage of nuclear weapons or other long distance bombs. So also the story that once circulated and of which the Russians thought it was true at the time of the Cold War, is just a legend. That story was that there were atomic weapons stored in the middle of the Pentagon. The Russians reacted immediately and aimed their missiles directly at this spot. In reality there is nothing beside a hot dog stall. To make it even easier for the Russians, the owner of the hotdog stall painted a target on the roof. And he wrote on his booth: 'The most dangerous hot dogs in the world' J .The man did have a sense of humor. What is the Pentagon outside the department of Defence? The largest office building in the world with 26,000 employees and built very efficiently. Thanks to the pentagonal design, it takes a maximum of 7 minutes to move from one point to another. We are being shown around by The 3rd Regiment, which also runs the service at Arlington. The Pentagon does have no secrets, but it does have a shopping mall for the staff, 3 Starbucks and 2 Dunking Donuts.. Galleries with photos reflect on the military past of the United States. Finally, we visit the small Memorial inside the Pentagon that commemorates 9/11.
And the building is striking. It is the largest obelisk ever built. 36,000 pieces of marble, granite and sandstone were needed for the built. Eventually, the obelisk reached a height of 169 m. The initial construction started in 1848. When the money that came from donations was gone, construction was halted for 25 years. Eventually they built on in 1879. The building has 879 steps but fortunately also a lift to a small viewing platform at the top. Unfortunately, the monument is closed until the spring of 2019 due to maintenance work on the lift. We must therefore miss the beautiful view from the top. The Washington Monument is located at the crossroads of DC, or by extension of the United States. The obelisk lies in the center of a cross : right in the east the legislature in the Capitol. North is the executive power of the president in the White House, west the Lincoln Memorial and in the south the Jefferson Memorial. And it is here, in one of the cornerstones of the monument, that a Bible is buried, along with other objects that have to do with George Washington. The Bible that turns out to be the Lost Word, the Lost Symbol. You know, in the beginning there was the word. According to the deciphering of the pyramid, the lost word is buried in Washington DC, at the bottom of a large staircase under a large stone: the Washington Monument. Even more. The Ancient Mysteries turn out to be the Bible. All cultures have one thing in common: god. God is the symbol that we all share. The symbol of all mysteries that we do not understand. Great power and wisdom are in us. And that knowledge is the Llost Symbol. Our minds have unlimited possibilities,with the enlightened human being as the end result.
American Airlines flight 77 took off from Washington Dulles with destination
Los Angeles at 8:20 am on September 11, 2001, to crash in the Pentagon at 9:37
am. It was the third hijacked aircraft that morning that crashed into a
building. A fourth aircraft went down slightly later in a field in Pennsylvania.
The passengers of that aircraft, thought to be used to crash into the White
House or the Capitol, had tried to recapture the control of the plance from the hijackers but
the latter crashed the plane. The passengers of United Flight 93 died a heroic
death in a field near Shanksville.
As a result, the terrorist attack in Washington DC failed for the most part. The 'successful' attack on the Pentagon was also less successful than expected. Because of a large rat plague, one of the wings of the Pentagon had been closed for a while for restoration. On September 12, 2001, the restored part would reopen. Only a limited number of people were present on September 11, the day before the reopening of this part. Just before the crash the plane hit a large antenna on top of a nearby hotel, which reduced the speed. After the crash into the restored wing, the aircraft did not advance to the other wings. Balance : 125 deaths in the Pentagon and 59 deaths on board the aircraft (without the hijackers). For these 184 victims a Memorial was erected right next to the hit part.
As a result, the terrorist attack in Washington DC failed for the most part. The 'successful' attack on the Pentagon was also less successful than expected. Because of a large rat plague, one of the wings of the Pentagon had been closed for a while for restoration. On September 12, 2001, the restored part would reopen. Only a limited number of people were present on September 11, the day before the reopening of this part. Just before the crash the plane hit a large antenna on top of a nearby hotel, which reduced the speed. After the crash into the restored wing, the aircraft did not advance to the other wings. Balance : 125 deaths in the Pentagon and 59 deaths on board the aircraft (without the hijackers). For these 184 victims a Memorial was erected right next to the hit part.
It is a sober memorial, but full of symbolism. Each commemorative bench bears the name of the victim. They are lined up via timelines, each representing the birth year of the victims in chronological order. The youngest victim was the 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg, the oldest the 71-year-old John D. Yamnicky. There is a reflecting illuminated pond below each bench. The benches are set up in such a way that it is immediately clear who was in the Pentagon and who was on board the aircraft. For the victims of the Pentagon, you see the name (which is placed on one side of the bench) and the Pentagon at the same glance. For the victims on board the plane, the benches are turned around and you see the name at the same glance as the flight path of the plane.
The damage to the Pentagon, which was nevertheless considerable given it was about 10% of the building, was repaired as quickly as possible. From the Memorial, the restored wing is clearly visible due to the color difference. The quarry from which the original bricks came, was reopened by former President George Bush, to be able to rebuild the wing. The wing was finished in just one year. One original stone was put into the new wall. This wing is the main goal of our visit to the Pentagon today. Although I applied for the tour months ago, I only heard on Friday that I am being admitted. Not that we're going to see a lot of secrets. The Pentagon does have a name where everyone thinks of ultra-secret information, but the Pentagon is nothing more or less than the US Department of Defense. No secret shelters here, no secret storage of nuclear weapons or other long distance bombs. So also the story that once circulated and of which the Russians thought it was true at the time of the Cold War, is just a legend. That story was that there were atomic weapons stored in the middle of the Pentagon. The Russians reacted immediately and aimed their missiles directly at this spot. In reality there is nothing beside a hot dog stall. To make it even easier for the Russians, the owner of the hotdog stall painted a target on the roof. And he wrote on his booth: 'The most dangerous hot dogs in the world' J .The man did have a sense of humor. What is the Pentagon outside the department of Defence? The largest office building in the world with 26,000 employees and built very efficiently. Thanks to the pentagonal design, it takes a maximum of 7 minutes to move from one point to another. We are being shown around by The 3rd Regiment, which also runs the service at Arlington. The Pentagon does have no secrets, but it does have a shopping mall for the staff, 3 Starbucks and 2 Dunking Donuts.. Galleries with photos reflect on the military past of the United States. Finally, we visit the small Memorial inside the Pentagon that commemorates 9/11.
I go back to the Mall. As I walk past the US Botanic Garden next to the
Capitol, I hope that Building Master Bellamy has been released from his
handcuffs by Director Sato. He spent some warm hours, both literally and
figuratively, in the beautiful so-called Jungle of the greenhouse. Not as beautiful
as our royal greenhouse, but still.
I turn left
on the Mall. The sun sheds its rays on the aluminum top of the most striking
monument on the Mall. The Washington Monument, the ultimate ode to the first
president.
And the building is striking. It is the largest obelisk ever built. 36,000 pieces of marble, granite and sandstone were needed for the built. Eventually, the obelisk reached a height of 169 m. The initial construction started in 1848. When the money that came from donations was gone, construction was halted for 25 years. Eventually they built on in 1879. The building has 879 steps but fortunately also a lift to a small viewing platform at the top. Unfortunately, the monument is closed until the spring of 2019 due to maintenance work on the lift. We must therefore miss the beautiful view from the top. The Washington Monument is located at the crossroads of DC, or by extension of the United States. The obelisk lies in the center of a cross : right in the east the legislature in the Capitol. North is the executive power of the president in the White House, west the Lincoln Memorial and in the south the Jefferson Memorial. And it is here, in one of the cornerstones of the monument, that a Bible is buried, along with other objects that have to do with George Washington. The Bible that turns out to be the Lost Word, the Lost Symbol. You know, in the beginning there was the word. According to the deciphering of the pyramid, the lost word is buried in Washington DC, at the bottom of a large staircase under a large stone: the Washington Monument. Even more. The Ancient Mysteries turn out to be the Bible. All cultures have one thing in common: god. God is the symbol that we all share. The symbol of all mysteries that we do not understand. Great power and wisdom are in us. And that knowledge is the Llost Symbol. Our minds have unlimited possibilities,with the enlightened human being as the end result.
Before I leave, I take a last
look at the Capitol and, just like Professor Langdon, I can only hope. Hope,
for me the Lost Word, the Lost Symbol. Because hope is what it is all about
here in Washington DC. The Founding Fathers gave the new country hope, hope for
a new and free future. During the bloody Civil War, the hope of the nation lay
with Abraham Lincoln, who did not rest until he reunited the country and the
slaves were liberated. Martin Luther King brought hope to the black Americans
who were seen as second-class citizens. Franklin D. Roosevelt was
the hope of the world in the dark days of WWII. And the haunting Memorials for
the wars in Vietnam and Korea give hope that for every hopeless situation there
is a solution and that every war ultimately will end. Hope that our world so desperately needs today. Hope…
Comments
Post a Comment