Photo courtesy of museum
Semper Fidelis Memorial Park
Twenty-five years after Sept. 11, 2001, some of the most direct physical evidence of that morning sits about 30 miles south of Alexandria, in a museum where admission and parking are free.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle holds a Marine Corps flag recovered from the Pentagon that stood just yards from where American Airlines Flight 77 struck. The building around it was destroyed. The flag came through largely untouched.
It's one piece of a collection that Alexandrians — many of whom watched smoke rise from the Pentagon that morning — can see any day of the week.
What's in the collection
The museum's 9/11 holdings include recovered pieces of both the Pentagon and the World Trade Center: an I-beam and a Pentagon fragment that visitors are allowed to touch, along with damaged signage, melted keys and a clock stopped at the moment of impact.
Two aircraft tie to the response. An F/A-18A Hornet, BuNo 161970, flew an armed combat air patrol over Washington on Sept. 12, 2001 — the day after. An AH-1W Super Cobra carries markings honoring the New York City firefighters killed at the World Trade Center; Marines flew it on deployments to Afghanistan.
Outside, in Semper Fidelis Memorial Park, the New York Fire Department 9/11 Memorial is built around two steel beams recovered from the World Trade Center. It honors the 17 Marines who were among the FDNY firefighters killed that day.
The memorial park holds more than 44 memorials, monuments and plaques in all.
Friday's book launch
On Friday, Sept. 11, the Marine Corps History Division hosts the official launch of The Legacy of 9/11: The U.S. Marine Corps and the Terror Attacks of September 2001, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the museum's Medal of Honor Theater.
The program includes remarks by Brigadier General Matthew T. Good, assistant commander of the History Division, a panel discussion, a wreath laying in the museum's "Terror Strikes" exhibit and a book signing. It's listed as free and open to the public.
One caveat: the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's event listing set an RSVP deadline of Sept. 8, which has passed. Anyone hoping to attend should call the museum first at 703-640-7965 to confirm whether walk-ins are being accommodated.
If you go
The museum is at 1775 Semper Fidelis Way in Triangle, just outside Marine Corps Base Quantico, roughly a 40-minute drive south on I-95 outside of rush hour. It's open daily except Thanksgiving and Christmas, and admission and parking are free.
Families making the trip Saturday, Sept. 12, will find a free LEGO Family Day running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Leatherneck Gallery, with Marine Corps- and America-themed displays, hands-on building and a scavenger hunt.
The museum opened in 2006 and marks its own 20th anniversary this fall. It was developed in the years after 9/11, and its design evokes the flag-raising on Iwo Jima.
