Alaska Air Cargo Delivers Pentagon Artifact for Seattle King Fire & Rescue 9/11 Memorial

News provided by

May 12, 2014, 06:37 ET

SEATTLE, May 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- South King Fire and Rescue's September 11 Memorial will be complete today when Alaska Air Cargo delivers a 150-pound section of Indiana limestone that was part of the United States Pentagon before it was destroyed in the 2001 terrorist attack.

The fire department was recently awarded the artifact by the Pentagon, which is sharing pieces of the destroyed building to 9/11 memorials throughout the nation.

A piece of Indiana limestone that was part of the United States Pentagon before it was destroyed in the 2001 terrorist attack, arrived in Seattle today. South King Fire and Rescue was recently awarded the artifact by the Pentagon, which is sharing pieces of the destroyed building to 9/11 memorials throughout the nation. (PRNewsFoto/Alaska Airlines)

Members of the South King Fire and Rescue department pose with the 150 pound, Pentagon artifact outside Alaska Air Cargo in Seattle. The piece flew 2,700 miles to Seattle on Alaska Airlines Flight 1 and will soon be part of the district's 9/11 memorial. (PRNewsFoto/Alaska Airlines)

"September 11, 2001, is a tragic day in our nation's history, and we are honored to assist the men and women of South King Fire and Rescue in their ongoing efforts to memorialize the lives lost at the World Trade Center, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon 13 years ago," said Betsy Bacon, Alaska Airlines' managing director of cargo.

South King Fire and Rescue's Fire Station No. 64, located in Federal Way, Wash., will be one of the few 9/11 memorials in the state to include pieces from each of the three sites and the only one in King County. The memorial honors the nearly 3,000 victims, including 343 firefighters, who died in the terrorist attacks and will be inscribed with every person's name.

"While Federal Way is 2,400 miles away from New York City, the region has made it its mission to memorialize the events of September 11th, 2001, honoring all who perished and served during those challenging days," said King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer. "Whether naming our newest high school for Todd Beamer or building this unique memorial, South King County does not want to forget the costly lessons of 9/11."

"This artifact represents an important final piece of the memorial that will commemorate the lives of our brothers and sisters who were lost and serve as a reminder to future generations of firefighters," said Assistant Chief Gordie Olson of South King Fire and Rescue.

The district's memorial includes a 10-foot-long steel beam from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, a rock from the crash site in Shanksville, Pa., and now a 150-pound piece of Indiana limestone from the Pentagon. These three pieces are the centerpiece of the 9/11 memorial under active construction. The district's memorial, which will be debuted to the public on Sept. 11, 2014, also includes a Stalwart pear tree in tribute to the only tree that survived at Ground Zero in New York City.

The South King Fire and Rescue memorial effort began in 2011, on the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy, when South King Fire's Lt. Scott Mahlen and firefighter Sven Schievink drove to New York to retrieve the steel beam.

Editor's Note: Photos of the artifact are posted to the carrier's online newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves nearly 100 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines Newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140512/86807

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140512/86808

SOURCE Alaska Airlines