Concrete and Metal: New Army Museum Exhibition Reveals Hidden Stories of Military Engineers During the September 11th Attacks
Summary
The National Museum of the United States Army has unveiled a new exhibit titled "Steel and Stone" to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, focusing on the largely unknown contributions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the rescue and recovery operations at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The exhibit features powerful artifacts including a Pentagon clock frozen at the moment of impact, the ID card of decorated Vietnam veteran Rick Rescorla who saved over 2,000 lives, a shredded NYPD patrol car from the World Trade Center collapse, and an American flag that was draped over the damaged Pentagon the day after the attacks. Dr. John Lonnquest, chief historian for the Army Corps of Engineers, described how he was among the first historians deployed to New York City, conducting oral history interviews with 58 individuals that captured the raw fear and drama of those responding to the disaster. The exhibit emphasizes that the Corps of Engineers' rapid and sophisticated response was not improvised, but rather the result of decades of advance planning, including rapid-deployment teams capable of handling debris removal, structural assessment, and emergency communications within 24 hours. One particularly striking oral account featured in the exhibit describes Colonel John O'Dowd discovering overwhelmed firefighters working with paper maps, dying flashlights, and malfunctioning radios, prompting an immediate decision to deploy advanced communications systems to the site.
Key Takeaways
- 1. The "Steel and Stone" exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Army highlights the underrecognized role of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 9/11 response and recovery efforts
- 2. Rare and historically significant artifacts are displayed for the first time, including a Pentagon clock, Rick Rescorla's ID card, and a flag unfurled over the Pentagon that hasn't been publicly shown in nearly 20 years
- 3. The Corps of Engineers' effective disaster response was rooted in decades of pre-existing emergency planning, enabling deployment of specialized teams within 24 hours of the attacks
- 4. Oral history interviews recorded on cassette tapes with 58 first responders and personnel form the emotional and historical core of the exhibit's collection
- 5. The exhibit aims to bring forward untold stories from 9/11, offering new perspectives on how military engineering expertise shaped the nation's recovery from its most devastating terrorist attack