By Steven Donald Smith
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 24, 2005 – David Minyard appreciates the letters of gratitude he has
received for his volunteer work at the Pentagon. However, adulation is not his intent.
David Minyard, of Eagle's Watch Foundation, often plays his guitar at the Pentagon 9-11
Memorial. Courtesy photo
Minyard founded the Eagle's Watch Foundation to bring hope and encouragement to those
who lost loved ones in the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, he said.
"This started as a result of my interest in taking care of those who are dealing with the
events of Sept. 11," Minyard said.
The foundation also helps maintain the Pentagon 9-11 Memorial and has donated more than
100 Washington Nationals baseball tickets to family members of servicemembers.
The memorial, which is located inside the Pentagon, contains large black tablets etched
with the names of the 184 victims of American Airlines Flight 77's crash into the building.
Pencils and commemorative tracing paper are provided onsite, so visitors can make
rubbings of names.
Minyard often comes in on weekends to refill the supply of tracing paper, sharpen the
pencils and add new paper to the sign-in book, as well as to restock the memorial literature,
he said.
In the Pentagon Chapel, which is adjacent to the memorial, Minyard prays for those who
died in the attack and for their families, he said.
A large piece of stained glass hangs behind the chapel altar.
"The stained glass in the Pentagon Chapel was handcrafted by the family members and
loved ones of those who were lost. There is a red piece of glass around the perimeter for
each person who died at the Pentagon," Minyard said.
Minyard also hands out informational brochures at the Navy Reflection Room, he said. That
room is dedicated to the 42 individuals who died in the Navy Operations Center in the
Pentagon on Sept. 11.
For his efforts, Minyard has received several letters of thanks, including those from Virginia
Sen. George Allen; Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth O. Preston; and Army Col. Steven P.
Bucci, military assistant to the secretary of defense.
"David provides a low-key but very important ministry of intercession and support to the
immediate office of the secretary," Bucci wrote. "Using regular but informal stop-bys, David
has provided encouragement and exhortation through offers of help, prayer and simple
friendship for all."
"The support you provide on a daily basis to the soldiers and civilians at the Pentagon is
priceless," Preston's letter states.
The full-scale outdoor Pentagon Memorial is scheduled for completion in late 2006. It will
feature 184 illuminated benches, arranged according to the victim's age, from 3 to 71. There
will also be a reflecting pool under each bench. The memorial will be built on 1.93 acres of
land on the southwest corner of the Pentagon Reservation. That project is being financed
exclusively with gifts and contributions.
ones of the 9-11 terror-attack victims, said David Minyard, of Eagle's Watch
Foundation. Graphic courtesy of IHS Studios
