Artwork supports Pentagon Memorial Fund

  • Published
  • By Donna Miles
  • American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  Lt. Col. Pam Hodge remembers the immediate sense of calm she felt when she heard the roar of the first armed F-16 Fighting Falcon arrive at the Pentagon after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I felt like a little kid hearing his mother's voice," said Hodge, who is assigned to the secretary of the Air Force’s office. "All of us were so confused and so unsure of what was happening. But somehow, when I heard that engine roar overhead, I knew that everything was going to be OK. Just hearing that plane calmed me right down."

Hodge was so moved by that moment she joined hundreds of co-workers at the Pentagon on Sept. 9 to purchase a signed, limited-edition print titled, "First Pass, Defenders Over Washington," by Rick Herter. The event was sponsored by Fort America, a Pentagon concession, with all proceeds to benefit the Pentagon Memorial Fund.

The painting is part of the Air Force art collection. It portrays Maj. Dean Eckmann from the North Dakota Air National Guard's 119th Fighter Wing, flying his F-16 over the burning Pentagon.

Signed, numbered prints of Herter's "Ground Zero, Eagles on Station" were also on sale. The painting depicts Lt. Col. Tim Duffy from the Massachusetts National Guard's 102nd Fighter Wing, as the first F-15 Eagle pilot to reach the World Trade Center site Sept. 11 to lock down the airspace over Manhattan.

While sales for both prints were steady, buyers at the Pentagon event tended to favor the Pentagon print because they said they felt such a personal connection to it.

Like Hodge, Army Lt. Col. Tom Cleary from said he remembers feeling tremendous relief Sept. 11 when he watched Eckmann's aircraft streak overhead.

"As bad as everything seemed at the moment, seeing that plane showed that we were able to react and that we were doing the right thing," Cleary said.

Cleary said he plans to hang the print at home to serve as a constant reminder of the lessons of Sept. 11, as much for his children as himself.

"Don't ever take anything for granted," he said. "This will be a constant reminder, something for me to pass on to my children."

Capt. Robert Birchum, who had been assigned here for just three months on Sept. 11, said he particularly likes the print because it shows American response at one of the country's most difficult moments.

"It shows our vulnerability, but it also shows our strength," he said. "Those pilots were ready to engage anything they encountered. To me, this painting represents our fortitude -- how we're still here standing strong, even after such a tragic event."

Jim Laychak, president of the Pentagon Memorial Fund, Inc., said profits from the sale will go toward the $20 million needed to build and maintain the Pentagon Memorial.

"It's great to be part of something like this," said Laychak, whose brother, David, was among 184 people killed in the Pentagon attack. "It's one more step toward reaching our goal so we can move forward with the memorial.

"I want to preserve something for my family, for the other families (and) for the nation,” he said. “I look at this as a gift to the people (who) are left behind."