The faces of the families were etched with fear, frustration and confusion as they arrived at the Pentagon Family Assistance Center on Sept. 12, the day after terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C.
“I love her and I want her back,” said Navy Quartermaster 1st Class Raymond Lightbourn. His sister, Samantha Allen, an Army civilian budget analyst at the Pentagon, was unaccounted for in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.
Lightbourn, stationed at the Washington Navy Yard, feared the worst but remained hopeful.
“All the chaplains were very helpful,” said Lightbourn, his eyes red from a sleepless night.
Just hours after the attack, members of the Pentagon Office of Family Policy regrouped in nearby Arlington, Va., and decided to set up a casualty assistance office for families, said Jean Marie Ward, a member of the staff.
By the next morning, they began receiving families at the center, located on two floors of the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington.
Families can talk to a variety of experts and aid organizations, including legal personnel, grief counselors, relief societies, victim advocates, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
By the end of its first day, the center had received visits from the families of 30 victims.
“It’s just quiet,” said Genshel Marshal, whose friend Carrie Blagburn, an employee of the Army Budget Office, was among the missing. “No one is saying anything. There’s not a lot of expression. We’re walking around like zombies.”
Other actions to help the families of victims of the crash include:
• The American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services has established a toll-free hot line for families of military and civilian workers. The number is (800) 888-6967, and it’s staffed 24 hours a day.
• The House unanimously approved a bill Sept. 13 to grant tax breaks for the victims of the attack. The Victims of Terrorism Relief Act of 2001 would waive federal income tax for this year for anyone who dies as a result of wounds or injuries resulting from the Sept. 11 attacks. The Senate also was expected to pass the measure.
Current law already provides a tax exemption for acts of war or terrorism, but only overseas.
• Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, is working on a bill to make certain the surviving spouses of service members killed in the Sept. 11 attacks receive military retirement benefits in addition to annuities provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The proposal “would allow the vesting for retirement purposes of military personnel who have died in the line of duty,” she said.
Staff writer Rick Maze contributed to this report.
