WASHINGTON — FBI agents at the Washington Field Office hardly needed anything to remind them of the devastating aftermath of 9/11, and the plane crash at the Pentagon that killed 184 folks.
Nonetheless, it was nice gesture Wednesday when the office was presented with an 800-pound limestone block recovered from the west facade of the Pentagon after the plane crash.
The stone was presented during a military ceremony at the field office in Washington, blocks from the U.S. Capitol. It will be displayed in the lobby of the building. Agents responded to the Pentagon minutes after the crash.
“The relationship we share with the Military District of Washington, Arlington County Fire, and other first responders was formed long before that fateful day,” James McJunkin, assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office said.
“In the years since, these bonds have grown as one of the few positive legacies of September 11. The FBI is stronger now because of these partnerships. What emerged from that scene at the Pentagon ten years ago should instill in every American today a sense of confidence in the skill, courage and keen coordination within of our Nation’s law enforcement and first responders.”
“This stone serves as a reminder of the past and is a tribute to the injured and the 184 lives lost at the Pentagon nearly ten years ago,” said Karl Horst, Major General, Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region. “Today we remember how our partners at the Bureau reacted with extraordinary heroism when – without warning – they were called upon to perform their duty in the midst of an unimaginable act of terrorism. ”
Speakers at the ceremony included former FBI agent Michael Rolince, who was Section Chief, Counterterrorism Division, FBI Headquarters on 9/11 ; FBI Deputy Assistant Director John G. Perren, Criminal Investigation Division, FBI Headquarters , who was a supervisory special agent for the WFO’s Joint Terrorism Task Force on 9/11; Major General Karl R. Horst, Joint Force Headquarters, National Capital Region and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington and McJunkin, who now heads up the FBI Washington Field Office.
