Military News

Pentagon opens 9-11 Memorial Chapel

By Staff Sgt. Nate Orme
ArmyLINK News

September 18, 2002 - WASHINGTON, September 18, 2002 -- The Pentagon now has a place dedicated for peace and solace to sooth the spiritual inclinations of its thousands of military and civilian employees -- its own chapel.

Conceived after the Sept. 11 attacks of last year, the chapel is located in the newly rebuilt wedge of the Pentagon, in the exact spot that radical Islamic terrorists crashed a commercial plane filled with passengers. The chapel and accompanying memorial are dedicated to the 184 innocent passengers and Pentagon personnel who lost their lives there.

"The chapel represents an element of healing and hope, as it is wed to the memorial. One goes to the memorial to remember (the victims of the attacks), and then the chapel to find hope and healing no matter what their faith," said Col. Ralph Benson, recently appointed Pentagon chaplain.

The chapel concept originally came from Maj. Gen. Gaylord Gunhus, Army chief of chaplains, said Benson.

"This is the first large chapel at the Pentagon," Benson said. " It is the first time we've had a place large enough to conduct services, which will include Jewish, Christian and Islamic."

Prior to the new chapel, services were conducted in informal prayer rooms or held in auditoriums and conference rooms.

Placing the chapel was highly symbolic, Benson said.

"It is located at the point of impact. This is a statement by the Department of Defense that we are a people of hope, faith and transformation. In our darkest moments, we find hope," Benson said.

The chapel and adjoining memorial are known as the Pentagon Memorial and Chapel. Inside the polished steel paneled memorial are two marble tablets carved with the name of the people lost in the attack. Between the two tablets, a guest book is open for visitors to sign. Overhead, the words "America's Heroes" are etched in black marble. Outside the Pentagon, a larger memorial will be built, which will be accessible to the public. A contest to select a design for that memorial is being administered by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Early in the chapel project, there was a lot of discussion of what to name it, Benson said.

"Basically, to military members, chapel means a place where we practice faith," he said. "We wanted to communicate what it was. We're going to hold services here. It's for every faith, symbolic for what this country stands for, freedom of worship."

Inside the chapel room, a stained glass window hangs near the chapel podium. In the shape of a pentagon, inside it are two crimson rings, made of 184 pieces representing lives lost. The rings encircle a bald eagle -- symbol of our nation, an olive branch representing our desire for peace, an American flag, and the Pentagon, representing the nation's defense. The words "United in Memory, September 11, 2001" memorialize the day the Pentagon was attacked.

The stained glass was created by the artist Dennis Roberts, of IHS studios in Fredricksburg, Texas. Roberts is a military veteran who gave his time and material freely, because of his strong dedication to this country's ideals, said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Eric Wester. Wester first saw Robert's work prior to the attacks, and was able to find the artist with help from sergeant major for the Office of the Chief of Chaplains, Sgt. Maj. Stephen Wilson and Patricia Shinseki, wife of Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Eric K. Shinseki.

The glass pieces -- actually faceted Dalle de Verre glass made to resemble stained glass -- were assembled at a conference of senior chaplains and chaplain assistants last March. Each attendee had a numbered piece to go in a designated spot on a wooden mold created by the artist, said Wester. "Art has been a language of faith for centuries, now it serves to speak for our need to express our thoughts and feelings about the event" he said

During this year's Army 9-1 remembrance ceremony, Gunhus invited attendees to visit the chapel and see the stained glass.

"In that beautiful stained glass window I see our Army family...the Pentagon community...even our nation," Gunhus said. "Like the light that streams through the window, hope and honor stream through our lives and service to future generations."

The memorial and chapel will be dedicated in a ceremony this fall, attended by the four service branch chaplains and religious representatives from many faiths, said Benson. The Pentagon holds nine worship services and 56 faith activities a week. Since the chapel can hold only 69 people, conference rooms will continue to be used as well, reaching about 1300 people weekly with services and prayer, Benson said.

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