Pentagon Research

DESCRIPTION: Aircraft debris on the lawn of the Pentagon. The rivets line up for either the "c" or the "e" on either side of the aircraft.

KEY NOTES: I cannot tell if MWAA Foam 345 is on the other side of Foam 331. If it is then this was taken after 9:48. You can see the "Scene Map" page for the approximate location of this piece. In Mark's statement he mentions taking an image of a priest after this photo. In Bob Pugh's video you can actually see Mark just moving from this shot and kneeling down to get the shot he refers to.

The following is a statement from the photographer to Dick Eastman 9/11 investigator.

I hate to disappoint anyone, but here is the story behind the photograph. At the time, I was a senior writer with Navy Times newspaper. It is an independent weekly that is owned by the Gannett Corporation (same owners as USA Today). I was at the Navy Annex, up the hill from the Pentagon when I heard the explosion. I always keep a digital camera in my backpack briefcase just as a matter of habit. When the explosion happened I ran down the hill to the site and arrived there approximately 10 minutes after the explosion. I saw the piece, that was near the heliport pad and had to work around to get a shot if it with the building in the background. Because the situation was still fluid, I was able to get in close and make that image within fifteen minutes of the explosion because security had yet to shut off the area. I photographed it twice, with the newly arrived fire trucks pouring water into the building in the background. The collapse of the building above area happened long after I left the scene. I was not even aware that that had happened until that evening when I watched the news. My photos were on the wire by noon. That was the only piece of wreckage of any SIZE that I saw, but was by no means the ONLY piece. Right after photographing that piece of wreckage, I also photographed a triage area where medical personnel were tending to a seriously burned man. A priest knelt in the middle of the area and started to pray. I took that image and left immediately. As I stepped onto the highway next to the triage area, I knelt down to tie my shoe and all over the highway were small pieces of aircraft skin, none bigger than a half-dollar. Anyone familiar with aircraft has seen the greenish primer paint that covers many interior metal surfaces - that is what these shards were covered with. I was out of the immediate area photographing other things within 20 minutes of the crash. In short, I was there so quickly after the explosion that there was not time for anyone to "plant" this piece of wreckage and it would have been impossible for anyone to plant the thousands of shards on the highway without being noticed by myself or others.

Sincerely, Mark D. Faram