Nine years ago Saturday, four American jets were hijacked. One of them plunged into the Pentagon.

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"Just sadness. Sadness," said Harry Downey, a Virginia Beach resident, on Friday. "Something that should've never happened."

President Obama will be at the crash site Saturday to honor the victims who died that day. Under each granite bench at the Pentagon Memorial that represents one of the 184 lives lost there is a small reflecting pool.

"It's unbelievable, to see the beautiful sight of what's here to remain for other people to remember," said Chicago resident Cheryl Trebet at the memorial on Friday.

The quiet, respectful crowds on Friday were visitors from around the world. The quiet was a sharp contrast to the horror, the chaos, and the noise of that Tuesday morning.

Fire Chief James Schwartz with Arlington County Fire and Rescue told us, "It's hard for me to drive by without thinking about the different look it had."

Schwartz was among the first responders when Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.

"The column of smoke. The gash in the building, the collapse in the sides, especially the casualties littering this side of the building," remembered Schwartz.

Nine years later there were fears that Florida pastor Terry Jones would burn the Quran to mark the anniversary. Instead, there are plans with a meeting with the imam in New York City.

Jones, pastor of the Dove Outreach Center in Florida, said, "We felt we thought we were coming to an agreement to satisfy both sides."

In the D.C. area, flags and signs lend a quiet dignity to this date. Most people who were at the Pentagon Memorial Friday say they want to focus on the hallowed ground and the lives lost there.

Harry Downey told us, "It can be a thing for healing, but it's just like you're visiting a gravesite. It still hurts. But at least you know someone does care."