Pentagon -- The U.S. Army today dedicated a conference room at the Pentagon in memory of Major Stephen V. Long, a native of Indiana, who died in the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
The 40-seat logistics conference room, which was recently renovated, is used by Army logisticians to conduct meetings and to communicate with forces around the world.
The event, held in conjunction with Patriot Day, was hosted by Lieutenant General Aundre F. Piggee, Deputy Chief of Staff, Army Logistics, who called Major Long "a hero way before 9/11." He added: "with his name on the door, every day we will be reminded why we need to work so hard to be a ready Army."
In attendance were members of his Gold Star family; former colleagues who served with him; and several Army staff members who were at the Pentagon that day. Also in attendance were Soldiers who have deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq to fight the war on terrorism, including Soldiers who were inspired to join the Army after the attack to protect America's freedoms.
Major Long, who graduated from Cascade High School in Clayton, Indiana, enlisted in the Army in 1981. He earned a Purple Heart for his bravery in Grenada. While there, he sustained injuries when his helicopter came under attack, and in spite of a broken back, was able to continue the mission, providing support to his comrades.
In Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he was part of the 82nd Airborne Division, one of the first units to cross into Iraq. At the time he served under the leadership of General Ann Dunwoody, who expressed great admiration for Major Long. The new Long Room was used by General Dunwoody when she served at the Pentagon as the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-4.
He later served in Germany, and in 1998 moved to the Total Army Personnel Command in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for the assignments of logistics officers. He was at the Pentagon on September 11th for a meeting. He was one of the 184 people, and the senior logistician, who died that day during the attack.
Piggee said: "Ranger Long, as his friends called him, had survived dangerous jumps, a helicopter crash, and had dodged bullets. He distinguished himself under fire. One of his favorite sayings was: 'Teamwork makes the dream work.' As a logistics team, we need to solve problems and make missions happen. And there is no better place to do it than in a room named for such an amazing sustainment Soldier and hero."
Members of the Long family -- including his father George Long, Sr. of Martinsville, Indiana, and his widow, Tina Yarrow, of Center, South Carolina, -- unveiled the plaque that hangs prominently in the room. The room is located on the first floor of the Pentagon.
At the Pentagon, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Army Logistics Office, oversees logistics policies, programs, and plans for the Army. The office manages a portfolio that funds the Army's arsenals and depots, maintains equipment, and acquires supplies to ensure the Army is ready to fight any mission around the world. The room will be used to plan, coordinate, and facilitate logistics resources throughout the Army.
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