About the Route 123 Memorial
On May 24, 2002, Agency officers dedicated the Route 123 Memorial to two fallen colleagues. The Memorial is located on the west side of the Virginia Route 123 entrance (alongside the outbound right lane). It includes a walkway leading to a 9-foot by 3 foot granite wall. Benches dedicated to Lansing Bennett and Frank Darling, who were shot to death on Jan. 25, 1993, on Route 123, face each other in front of the granite wall. On the wall is inscribed:
In Remembrance of Ultimate Dedication to Mission Shown by Officers of the Central Intelligence Agency Whose Lives Have Been Taken or Forever Changed by Events at Home and Abroad.
Dedicato Par Aevum
(Dedicated to Service)
May 2002
The grounds around the memorial are landscaped and feature juniper ground cover and flowerbeds. Two Japanese maples, standing on each side of the wall, will one day form a canopy over the memorial. Accent lighting illuminates the memorial at night.
The dedication reads “In remembrance of Ultimate Dedication to Mission Shown by Officers of the Central Intelligence Agency Whose Lives Have Been Taken or Forever Changed by Events at Home and Abroad. Dedicato Par Aevum (Dedicated to Service) May 2002.”
