Items Related To 9/11 Attacks Inside CIA Museum That Most Americans Will Never See On Display
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Iconic items related to the 9/11 attacks are inside a museum that most Americans will never see on display inside of the CIA headquarters outside of Washington.
They serve as a reminder to the agency officers and other visitors every day. Time has marched forward and many items left behind on Sept. 11, 2001 stay just as they were on that Tuesday.
Now behind glass playing their role, and now 20-year-old promise to never forget.
"That gym bag belongs to the youngest passenger on flight 93. She was actually on her way back to college that day," said Robert Byer, Director of CIA Museum.
Artifacts of the day when 2,977 people died are on wide public display in museums across the country to make the past more tangible in the present. Other iconic items from the last 20 years have a smaller audience and specific purpose.
"Using the artifacts here at CIA Museum, we can tell the story of our accomplishments, what we've done with our history, and show them the different missions that have happened and help them understand what they can do in the future," Byer added.
The CIA Museum is the rare museum that doesn't open to the public. It's tucked deep inside agency headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Down famous corridors, most Americans only see in the movies -- unless like museum director, Robert Byer you work here.
"This isn't just history for history's sake. We want our officers to look at these artifacts and then maybe come up with a new idea for a mission that's happening today," Byer said.
Also on display items related to the decade-long hunt for Osama bin Laden, including the rifle found next to him after he was killed by special forces in May of 2011.
