WASHINGTON (AFPS) – The huge American flag that hung to the right of the damaged area of the Pentagon was lowered Oct. 11 and folded with full military honors.
Soldiers of A Company, 3rd Infantry (The Old Guard), lowered the colors and folded them on the helipad just in front of where hijacked airliner hit the Pentagon Sept. 11.
Before Sept. 11, the flag belonged to the U.S. Army Band and nearby Fort Myer, Va. It is a garrison flag, the largest authorized for the military.
After the attack on the Pentagon, bandsmen sent the flag to the Pentagon. During President Bush’s visit to the impact site, 3rd Infantry soldiers and fire fighters unveiled the flag and draped it over the side of the building.
The flag had hung in place ever since. Each night, workers illuminated it with flood lights. Today, the flag is soot- stained and ripped at one spot where it rubbed up against the building.
“This flag will never be flown again,” Maj. Gen. Jim Jackson, commander of the Army Military District of Washington, said following the ceremony. Jackson will present the flag to the Army leadership later. They will decide its ultimate destination.
