Photographer Captures Moments After 9/11 Pentagon Attacks

Sean Kelley packed up his mountain bike and jumped in his Volkswagen camper shortly after hearing about the attacks on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. He drove the small roads until forced to stop near Columbia Pike and Glebe Road. Afraid for his father, who had a meeting scheduled inside the Pentagon at the time, he biked the rest of the way, shouldering his 50-pound camera bag, just in case.

Ten years later, Kelley wants to share the photos he took that day. His gallery exhibit, "Still Standing, Still Free," at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center shows the horror of the moments after Flight 77 hit the Pentagon, and the nation's recovery days and weeks later. It's the only exhibit of its kind in Northern Virginia.

When Kelley arrived he found a chaotic scene, a stunned crowd held back only by a single line of police tape stretching before the Pentagon's west wall.

"It was scary," Kelley said. "Intense. There were rumors of maybe another plane, people were saying 'Get out of there,' but I wasn't going anywhere."

He stuck around even after hearing that his father was safe, the meeting canceled. Kelley, who started his career long ago as a fine arts underwater and surf photographer, photographed the aftermath, capturing the smoke rising from the Pentagon's west wall. His camera caught images of police officers struggling to get control of the crime scene, at the same time fighting to overcome their own shock and fear. 

Kelley wasn't the only one with a camera. Outnumbered "15-1" by government photographers, he was barraged by requests for film. Photographers begged for extra rolls, some offering to pay him $250 or more.

He eventually gave in, loaning two rolls of film to photojournalist Bob Pugh. Though Pugh mailed Kelley two replacement rolls, they didn't speak until 10 years later, when Kelley found Pugh's business card in a drawer and called him up to get him involved with the exhibit.

"Still Standing, Still Free" will include six of Pugh's photos and a video he shot about eight minutes after the plane hit the Pentagon. Other exhibit contributors include: Stephen Jaffe, Joe Pisciotta and Laura Stephens.

About three weeks after the 9/11 attacks, Kelley made it to New York City. One of his favorite photos from the trip is of mountain of stuffed animals on the sidewalk, a memorial for those kids who lost parents on Sept. 11. His camera caught an image of a teddy bear, wet from the rain, holding a card addressed in scrawling handwriting to "Daddy."

"It reminds me of the "Mummy" card in Princess Di's funeral," he said.

He contributed four of his Pentagon photos to an at-the-time brand new Sept. 11 exhibit called "Here is New York." The exhibit started just after the 9/11 attacks with a few photos hung in the window of a storefront in SoHo. 

"Someone taped one photo to the window and then people started adding their own photos," Kelley said. 

Interest in the photo project quickly caught on. The photos were scanned, printed and hung throughout the gallery from clothespins with no mention of who took them. Amateur shots hung next to and ilicited the same emotions as professional work from photojournalists. All were sold, no matter the quality, for $25. 

Kelley believes there's no good in hiding his Sept. 11 photos in a box. He wants the exhibit to inspire people, to remind them that there are good people and noble actions to be found even in the most horrifying of circumstances.

"We took a hard hit but we're American, we can survive this and be stronger than ever," he said.

His own personal inspiration comes from his girlfriend, Christina Sivanthaphanith, who remained courageous up until she died in May of non-smoker's lung cancer.

The exhibit starts Saturday at 7 p.m. with live music by The Michael Clem Trio, a cash bar and food from Brion's Grille. Tickets cost $40. First responders, veterans, active-duty military and seniors get in for $30. Kids aged 11-17 cost $10, 10 and under are free. 

Part of the proceeds will benefit the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, an organization that gives scholarships to children of Marines and law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

Want to go?

• Get tickets online at seankelleyart.com.
• Purchase tickets at Brion's Grille in University Mall.
• Call 703-966-6520 for group purchases and additional information.