I take people to the Pentagon Memorial as a tour guide, though not as often as many years before. School kids only read about 9/11 because they weren’t alive in 2001. It shocked me the first time kids reminded me of that. Wow, time moves on.

Locals don’t go much, either. It’s not easy to access. The best way is to walk from the tunnel connecting from Pentagon City Mall area. Don’t cut across the parking lot. Somebody is always watching. Follow the pathway straight to the curb and turn left towards the flag.

There is a bench for each person who died that day – 184. They are sorted by birth years from youngest as you enter the memorial to the last row for the oldest. As to whether they were in the building or on the plane, that’s simple. When you see their name on the end of the bench, look up. Do you see the building or sky? That tells where they were.