9/11 exhibit in Pentagon City features never-before-seen images

With Wednesday marking 23 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a mall in Northern Virginia has an exhibit that includes never-before-seen images and video from the attack at the Pentagon.

Joe Pisciotta (right), one of the photographers, stands in front of a new exhibit in a Pentagon City mall commemorating the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.(Courtesy Still Standing, Still Free)

The new exhibit at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City runs through the end of September.

“Everybody has a different reaction to it,” said Joe Pisciotta, one of the photographers who has pictures in the exhibit. “To some people, it’s just déjà vu.”

Memorabilia donated by local firehouses and firefighters is also on display.

Visitors have the opportunity to recall their own personal story of what they remember from 9/11 by writing in the “Where Were You On 9/11” journal.

“The purpose of the exhibit is so people will never forget, and that they’ll remember that it didn’t just happen in New York,” Pisciotta said. “It also happened at the Pentagon, and this is the nerve center of our defense.”

pentagon exhibit — The exhibit ‘Still Standing – Still Free’ at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City runs through the end of September. (Courtesy Still Standing, Still Free)

Nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijacked planes crashed into New York City’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, that fateful day in 2001.

Pisciotta said a few photos of his stand out as being particularly powerful.

“One is a picture of the Pentagon on fire, looking right into the cavity,” Pisciotta said. “Another one is a picture of the Washington Monument in the background of the Pentagon with all the misty smoke coming up so you can hardly see the Pentagon.”

The exhibit is located on Level 1, next to Nordstrom. It is free to the public during regular mall hours, Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“This exhibit is a poignant reminder of the resilience and heroism that emerged from the tragic events of 9/11,” said Wes Mehr, general manager of Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. “It is an honor to host such a significant collection that not only commemorates the past but also educates the community.”

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