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Pentagon community continues to heal and flowers are part of the process

by Blogger

September 16, 2008


This guest post comes courtesy of Paul Brockway, an owner of Conklyn's Florist conklyns.com in Virginia.

Last week marked the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. On that day, Conklyn's Florist in the Pentagon Concourse was open as usual. When sirens filled the air signaling an evacuation of the building, our staff rushed out of the building without any knowledge of the terrorist air attack on the opposite side of the building. General chaos ensued.

Eventually, the physically unscathed occupants of the building returned to work. But even after seven years, the mood of the building is not the same as it was before 9/11 and it may not ever be the same for anyone who was working that day.

Flowers at Pentagon memorial

It is now seven years later and the first of three national memorials pentagonmemorial.org is complete. Dedicated by President George W. Bush, the Pentagon memorial honors the 184 people who perished when American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the building.

When we volunteered to provide flowers for the ceremony, the initial response was that they could use a few small designs in front of a single podium on one side of the stage.

Frankly, I think the event planners were so overwhelmed with the details of this huge event that flowers were not on the radar. But big ceremonies, especially memorial ceremonies, need flowers as part of the healing process.

With a donation of flowers from Teleflora and hours of work by Conklyn's staff, we arrived at the memorial site with blooms to decorate the entire stage: impressive arrangements of white lilies, roses and carnations.

Flowers at Pentagon memorial

Working through the night, we gave the stage the beauty and comfort that only flowers can provide. As a final touch, we put a white rose bouquet just below the ceremonial bell used during the reading of the names of those who died.

The ceremony was broadcast around the world and featured speeches by President Bush, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

It was an honor and a pleasure to be able to contribute to this moving ceremony. As part of the Pentagon community, participating is part of the healing process for us too.
 


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Comments


Mike
Mike | Reply
September 16, 2008

I'm no fan of President Bush or Rumsfeld, but this is a moving story. It's true that flowers, on this and many other memorial events, always are a precious reminder of the transient beauties of life.  

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