Planning began immediately for a memorial to honor victims who perished in the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon. An international design competition selected Keith Kaseman and Julie Beckman's (Light Benches) as the concept to be constructed on a two acre site at the southwest façade of the Pentagon, where American flight 77 crashed into the building.

Lee and Associates (LA) formed a joint venture with Balfour Beatty (formerly Centex Construction) and successfully competed to be chosen as the Design/Build contractor for the memorial. As architect of record for the project, LA provides design leadership, managing an interdisciplinary team including the concept designers, engineers, pool and lighting consultants, in addition to providing cultural resource and landscape architectural expertise.

The memorial was dedicated September 11, 2008.