Pentagon Monument

For his Eagle Scout Service Project, Life Scout Joey Ricketts of Troop 48 in Lynchburg, Virginia decided over three years ago to raise the money and build a monument to the innocent victims of the Pentagon Attack on September 11, 2001. Little did he know it would gain the attention of the entire Nation. It all started over three years ago. As Joey began looking for a service project to earn the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America, he remembered his dad talking about a local man who lost his son in the Pentagon tragedy. Post 16 member Capt. John B. Scales lost his son in the attack. Army Col. David M. Scales was working at his desk, with just months to retirement, when the terrorist attack took his life. Joey contacted Capt. Scales and told him what he was planning to do. Joey explained that he wanted to build a granite monument with bronze plaques to tell future generations about the tragic attack on the Pentagon. He wanted to have a pentagon-shaped walkway around the monument. Joey even had the lofty idea to get the Pentagon to give him some of the rubble they may have from the attack. Capt. Scales was speechless when Joey told him how he wanted to also dedicate this monument to his son. This was the beginning of a wonderful relationship between Joey and the Scales’ family. They said Joey reminded them so much of David, their young ambitious David. “David was full of life”, as the Scales describe their eldest son. David led two lives, one as an Army officer and another as a concert pianist. David was going to continue his career as a composer when he retired. Much of the music he recorded survives today.
Joey made his first presentation to the Executive Board at Post 16 when he was just 13 years old. He asked the board if they would want this monument on their property. The decision was unanimous; everyone was excited about this project and wanted it to stand at Post 16. Joey was told later that the Board was somewhat skeptical that he would be able to raise the necessary funds for such a large project. Joey made several contacts with advisors to help him with the planning stages of the project. Mr. Joe Robinson, a committee member of Troop 48 and also the first Eagle Scout in the Troop in 1956, agreed to help Joey with his project. Mr. Robinson guided Joey to help him make important decisions along the way. Joey also contacted Paris Hudnall of Coleman-Adams Construction in Forest, Virginia to help with technical planning; especially with the concrete pentagon-shaped walkway which would surround the monument. Charles Baer at Baer and Sons Memorials in Lynchburg agreed to order the granite and bronze plaques at their cost.

Joey met with the Board at Post 16 several times to have them approve the design and location of the monument. Finally in the spring of 2006 ground was broken for the monument. Concrete forms were constructed and concrete was poured. The walkway came out beautiful, just as Joey had planned.
Also during the span of the three years Joey spent many hours raising funds for the project. By the spring of 2006 Joey had raised over $10,000. Joey had made several appearances on local TV and radio news stations, was featured in the Lynchburg News and Advance newspaper on two occasions, and sent out hundreds of letters to local businesses for financial help. When checks were received Joey promptly sent each contributor a personal thank you letter.
Also in spring 2006 Joey sent a formal request to the director of the Pentagon Renovation Project at the Pentagon to obtain an actual piece of the limestone rubble from the terrorist attack. After waiting several weeks Joey finally received the letter he was hoping for; his request for a piece of the limestone rubble was approved! They even attached a photo of the piece that matched Joey’s requested dimensions perfectly. It got even better. In early June 2006 Joey received a letter from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld with an invitation for Joey and his family to attend the June 15, 2006 groundbreaking ceremony of the Pentagon’s own Memorial to 9-11-01. During the ceremony Joey sat next to Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice-Chairman Admiral Giambastiani. Joey showed the Admiral pictures of his project and the Admiral signed his photo album. Following the ceremony Joey met Virginia Senator George Allen, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Peter Pace, Pentagon Memorial President Jim Laychak, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Mr. Rumsfeld told Joey he was also an Eagle Scout and asked him about his project. CNN interviewed Joey and his dad after the ceremony, which was shown over the whole country. Following the ceremony Joey was presented with the piece of limestone rubble for his monument.
Returning to Lynchburg after his once in a lifetime experience at the Pentagon, Joey had much work to do to complete the monument. Baer and Sons Memorials received the bronze plaque paper proofs back from the bronze company and Joey had to meticulously check each letter on them for accuracy. Once the bronze was cast corrections would not be possible.
By the end of July Joey had received over $12,000 in donations for the monument. This was over and above the money needed for the project, so Joey decided he wanted to add another bronze plaque for the monument. This one will have on it the names of all 184 innocent people who died in the attack, including those on Flight 77.
On August 26, 2006 the dedication ceremony took place for the Pentagon Attack Monument. A quartet from the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra played while guests were being seated by Boy Scouts from Joey’s Troop. Don Bridges and Bobbi Bliss, who played music with Col. David Scales in Northern Virginia, sang several songs written by David. Bobbi sang one song with David playing the piano on a cd she brought with her. Capt. JB Scales told about his son David and then sang “Ol Solo Mio” in Italian. He sang this with his son as they visited nursing homes in Lynchburg when David would come home many years ago. From the Pentagon, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force John Truesdell came to represent the Pentagon and to speak to the audience. He was well received.
Please contact Joey if you have questions or comments about his monument.