Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 NEWS
 Families to launch docent program at Pentagon Memorial By Donna Miles
                American Forces Press Service
 WASHINGTON, D.C. - Families who lost loved ones during the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon plan to mark the first anniversary of the Pentagon Memorial by introducing a new docent program - and they're looking for volunteers to help. Lisa Dolan, whose husband, Navy Capt. Robert E. Dolan, died in the attack, is the prime organizer of the effort. Her goal, she told American Forces Press Service, is to personalize the memorial for visitors so they can better understand the human impact of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Dolan is a teacher and high-energy volunteer who helped found the Pentagon Memorial Fund and continues to serve on its board. Once the group raised the money needed to build the memorial, dedicated Sept. 11, 2008, she began turning her sights to educating the public about the memorial and the 184 people it honors. Nobody, she said, could do that quite as personally as the families who lost a family member in the attacks. So she reached out to them first, quickly getting 50 volunteers who live near enough to participate in the docent program. "I was really, really surprised by the response," she said. "There was a real outpouring." Each docent will receive training, including "a fairly hefty manual" of information, to prep them for the job. But Dolan said most family members already know the facts about 9/11 and the Pentagon Memorial by heart. "They've lived this for the past eight years," she said. "For them, it's all very personal." After an initial pilot program expected to begin after tomorrow morning's wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial, Dolan hopes to expand the docent program to post a volunteer at the site from about 9 a.m. to 3 or 6 p.m., seven days a week. She hopes to tap volunteers from the Pentagon -- military members, civilian employees, contractors -- able to share their own firsthand accounts of the 9/11 attacks. "The people who work at the Pentagon have been really supportive of the memorial, so I knew that would be a really good place to pull from," she said. Depending on how many Pentagon employees volunteer, Dolan also may approach first responders from Arlington, Va. They were the first to arrive on the scene to offer assistance on 9/11. Ultimately, Dolan estimates she'll need 84 volunteer docents to pull three-hour shifts talking with visitors to the memorial. In addition to giving visitors a deeper appreciation for its symbolism, Dolan said she hopes the docent program serves as a healing force for those who experienced the losses of 9/11 personally. Dolan said she finds comfort when she visits the memorial, which she considers "an extension of my home." She's already gotten a sense of what the docents will experience during the several times she's taken people through the memorial, explaining its design and sharing her own personal story. This summer, for example, Dolan walked an 11-year-old girl who had been in her preschool class on 9/11 to the memorial. Of all that Dolan showed her as they walked through the two-acre memorial park, nothing touched the young girl so much as seeing the cantilevered bench that pays tribute to the youngest victim of the 9/11 attack, 3-year-old Dana Falkenberg. "That made it personal and made it possible for this 11-year-old girl to feel the connection," Dolan said. Dolan hopes the docent program will help more visitors experience this connection. Tomorrow, the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and her husband's death, will be "a difficult day," she conceded. "But it's helpful," she said, "knowing that we will be able to take our tears and sadness and turn it into something fabulous." For more information about the docent program or to volunteer, contact Dolan by e-mail at LDolan@pentagonmemorial.netor visit the Pentagon Memorial Fund Web site at http://www.pentagonmemorial.net/.
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course
 By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Smith,
  38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise
 By Master Sgt. Jeff Lowry,
  Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska
 By 156th Wing
  More
 Pennsylvania Army Guardsmen Complete Combat Lifesaver Course Guard News • 5 hours ago
 38th Infantry Division Soldiers Conduct Warfighter Exercise Guard News • 12 hours ago
 Puerto Rico Air National Guard Trains at Red Flag-Alaska Guard News • 13 hours ago
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • yesterday
 2024 (196)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil