AFTER
FLIGHT 77 HIT THE PENTAGON ON 9/11, THE FOLLOWING HAPPENED
A chaplain, who happened to be assigned to
the Pentagon, told of an incident that happened right after Flight 77 hit the
Pentagon on 9/11. A daycare facility inside the Pentagon had many children,
including infants who were in heavy cribs. The daycare supervisor, looking at
all the children they needed to evacuate, was in a panic over what they could
do. There were many children, mostly toddlers, as well as the infants that
would need to be taken out with the cribs. There was no time to try to bundle
them into carriers and strollers. Just then a young Marine came running into
the center and asked what they needed. After
hearing what the center director was trying to do, he ran back out into the
hallway and disappeared. The director thought, "Well, here we are, on our
own." About 2 minutes later, that Marine returned with 40 other Marines in
tow. Each of them grabbed a crib with a child, and the rest started gathering
up toddlers. The director and her staff then helped them take all the children
out of the center and down toward the park near the Potomac. Once they got
about 3/4 of a mile outside the building, the Marines stopped in the park, and
then did a fabulous thing - they formed a circle with the cribs, which were
quite sturdy and heavy, like the covered wagons in the Old West. Inside this
circle of cribs, they put the toddlers, to keep them from wandering off.
Outside this circle were the 40 Marines, forming a perimeter around the
children and waiting for instructions.
There they remained until the parents could
be notified and come get their children. The chaplain then said, "I don't
think any of us saw nor heard of this on any of the news stories of the day. It
was an incredible story of our men there.” There wasn't a dry eye in the room.
The thought of those Marines and what they did and how fast they reacted; could
we expect any less from them? It was one of the most touching stories from the Pentagon.
It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures
our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's the Military who
salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by
the flag. If you care to offer the smallest token of recognition and
appreciation for the military, please pass this on and pray for our men and
women, who have served and are currently serving our country, and pray for
those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
