Category: National Security Agency NSA

Source: National Security Agency NSA

“Best day of my life!” One Scout exclaimed as he left the National Cryptologic Museum’s (NCM) annual event on Saturday March 2nd, 2024.

Rain couldn’t damper things for the scouts and their families as the event drew a near record number of attendees with more than 650 people coming through the doors of the NCM in just six hours.

The NCM’s Scout Day was open to scouts and their families all over Maryland and beyond, with some even traveling more than two hours to take part in the festivities. Activity stations ranged from fingerprinting and robotics, to invisible ink and a scavenger hunt. With activities set up throughout the museum, kids and their parents had the opportunity to take in all kinds of lessons. In addition to cipher wheels and decoding encrypted messages, they learned about language, cryptology and the history of coding during slavery.

Scouts could earn a Disabilities Awareness Merit Badge after completing tasks that showed what it was like to live with visual, hearing and physical impairments.
 
Scout leaders say events like this help their scouts see the bigger picture.

“People just don’t realize all the way from Hobos to Space Shuttle, to Military to State secrets, code has been around since the Egyptians,” said Stan Zdun, Scoutmaster for Troop 249 in Edgewater, Md. “Since the beginning of time,” he added.
 
Jennifer Wilcox, the museum’s Director of Education, and her staff prepared for the event for months. She said that this year’s Scout Day was one of, if not the most successful to date.

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The National Cryptologic Museum is the only fully public museum in the Intelligence Community and is now open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and no reservations are required — click here for more information about the museum or to start planning your visit!

Source: National Security Agency NSA

The National Security Agency (NSA) Research Directorate recently selected “Uninvited Guests: Analyzing the Identity and Behavior of Certificate Transparency Bots,” as the winner of its 11th Annual Best Scientific Cybersecurity Paper Competition.

The winning paper, authored by Stony Brook University researchers Brian Kondracki, Johnny So, and professor Nick Nikiforakis, examined a study of automated attacks on new webservers, and explored how a web browser can trust an organization’s publicly issued cryptographic credentials. At the heart of their investigation was a simple question: What happens when you setup a new encrypted website?

“This paper was selected as the winner because the researchers performed high-level, clearly written, and impactful science,” said NSA’s Director of Research, Gil Herrera. “It is the cutting-edge and relatable research that has made the paper stand out as the winner of this year’s competition.”

NSA’s Laboratory for Advanced Cybersecurity Research established the annual Best Cybersecurity Paper Competition in 2013 to encourage the development of scientific foundations in cybersecurity, and to support the enhancement of cybersecurity within devices, computers, and systems through rigorous research, solid scientific methodology, documentation, and publishing. Herrera, along with NSA cybersecurity experts and external authorities in the field, selected the winning paper from 30 studies nominated by the public on the Science of Security website.

The winning researchers studied autonomous systems which probe newly instantiated encrypted websites. They identified 105 malicious security bots attempting to perform nefarious actions such as data exfiltration, reconnaissance, and vulnerability exploitation. They also identified security systems examining sites to identify new phishing attacks. These profiles provide new insights into these autonomous actions happening on the Internet. This data can be used by both system administrators and developers to protect systems from compromise.

The research team collected this data by creating the Certificate Transparency Honeypot (CTPOT), a system that obtains new certificates and monitors web bots for potential targets. CTPOT allows researchers to trick web bots, isolate them, and identify if they are malicious.

“Beyond the technical merit of this paper, this paper is noteworthy because the high quality of documentation allows for others to verify and build upon this research advancement,” said Adam Tagert, Technical Director of NSA’s Science of Security Initiative. “Clear and available documentation are key components for advancing science, a primary goal of the NSA Science of Security Program”

Nominations are now open for the 12th annual Best Scientific Cybersecurity Paper Competition. NSA welcomes nominations of papers published in 2023 in peer-reviewed journals and technical conferences that show an outstanding contribution to cybersecurity science. Winners will be announced at the end of 2024.

Visit the Best Scientific Cybersecurity Paper webpage for more information on the competition and to nominate a paper.
 

Source: National Security Agency NSA

On December 7, 1941, Japanese naval aircraft swept in on an unsuspecting US Pacific Fleet and Army in the Hawaiian Islands and destroyed many American ships and aircraft. In a little over two hours, 18 warships—including eight battleships—and over 160 aircraft were knocked out of action. With Japan’s eastern flank secured, its forces would rampage through the rest of the Pacific virtually unopposed.
 
Within days of the disaster, calls resounded from the public, press, and the government itself for an investigation into how and why such an event could occur. To many, it was not just the magnitude of the defeat, but the extraordinary unpreparedness of U.S. forces in Hawaii: Someone had to pay.
 
However, fixing responsibility for the debacle at Pearl Harbor was complicated by the revelations about the MAGIC decrypts. MAGIC was the cover name assigned to the intelligence garnered from the decryptions and translations of Japanese diplomatic messages.
 
From September 1940 until the attack on Pearl Harbor, American cryptologists had read the most sensitive Japanese diplomatic messages and had kept President Franklin Roosevelt informed of every Japanese diplomatic and political policy turn. But MAGIC didn’t tell Roosevelt and other government leaders what the Japanese military was planning — that information was in Japanese Navy communications, and those ciphers and codes had largely resisted the efforts of American cryptologists to break them. Any investigation of the Pearl Harbor disaster would be as much a revelation of what we didn’t know as of what we did know.
 
The issue of culpability would not be settled in one investigation, and for many people it was never really settled at all. Ultimately, eight hearings would be held during World War II and after, culminating in a joint congressional investigation beginning on November 15, 1945. What follows is a brief summary of each.
 
The Roberts Commission, December 18, 1941-December 23, 1942: This commission, set by presidential executive order, was charged to determine the facts of the Japanese attack and establish if any dereliction of duty had occurred. MAGIC was discussed, but who received it and the details of the reports were not covered. Not surprisingly, the hearings were hostile to the area commanders, General Walter Short, USA, and Admiral Husband Kimmel, USN. The major political and military figures in Washington were exonerated.
 
The Hart Inquiry, February 15, 1944-June 15, 1944: The Navy Department ordered Admiral Thomas Hart, former commander of the Asiatic Fleet, to conduct a one-man inquiry on Pearl Harbor so that important testimony would not be lost by hazard of war.
 
The Army Pearl Harbor Board, July 20, 1944-October 20, 1944: In response to an act of Congress on July 13, 1944, the Army’s adjutant general convened hearings which took testimony from 151 witnesses. MAGIC evidence was taken only during the last week of the hearings. Surprisingly, and perhaps because radio intercept information was downplayed, the board censured Generals George Marshall and Leonard Gerow (War Plans Division) for not fully advising General Short of the situation vis-a-vis Japan.
 
The Naval Court of Inquiry, July 24, 1944-October 19, 1944: A court of inquiry was convened in response to the same congressional act of July 13, 1944. The hearings made full use of MAGIC, though the testimony on it was classified and kept from the public. The findings of the inquiry completely exonerated Admiral Kimmel. Instead, Admiral Harold Stark, chief of naval operations at the time of Pearl Harbor, was blamed for failing to adequately advise Kimmel of the critical situation prior to the attack.
 
The Clausen Investigation, November 23, 1944-September 12, 1945: By personal direction of the secretary of war, a one-man inquiry conducted by Major Henry Clausen was detailed to obtain testimony to supplement the Army Board’s completed investigation.
 
The Hewitt Inquiry, May 14, 1945-July 11, 1945: Similar to the Clausen investigation, the Navy secretary ordered Admiral Kent Hewitt to continue the naval inquiry.
 
The Clarke Investigation, September 14-16, 1944 and July 13, 1945-August 4, 1945: The secretary of war ordered Colonel Carter Clarke, head of the Military Intelligence Division, which, in turn, oversaw the army’s COMINT efforts, to investigate the handling of communications by the military intelligence division prior to Pearl Harbor.
 
On November 15, 1945, the Joint Congressional Committee Investigation into the Pearl Harbor disaster held its first session. Established by a Joint Congressional Resolution, this investigation promised to be the most thorough possible. The Truman administration released all of the relevant classified documents, including the MAGIC translations. All of the participants that were still alive, with the exception of the seriously ill Secretary of War Stimson, were examined.
 
In 1946, the committee’s findings were released in 40 volumes. A single volume report contained 12 findings that apportioned the blame among all the principals: Hawaiian area commanders as well as the War and Navy Departments. A minority report also censured President Roosevelt but concluded, like the majority findings, that Secretary Stimson, Secretary Knox, Generals Marshall and Gerow, and Admiral Stark, as well as General Short and Admiral Kimmel, were culpable for the disaster.
 
The hope that the investigations would finally determine who was responsible was never fulfilled.
 
Although many figures in Washington were blamed, Kimmel and Short would bear the onus for the disaster. But the fifty years following the investigations would see a stream of “revisionist” histories and rationalizations for the major figures, such as Admiral Kimmel. Conspiracies to suppress intelligence by Churchill, Roosevelt, and others would be “exposed,” and historians would “discover” new intelligence that existed which would have saved Pearl Harbor.
 
However, the phoenix-like nature of the Pearl Harbor controversy proved only what one of Admiral Kimmel’s lawyers wrote to him in 1953: “Pearl Harbor never dies, and no living person has seen the end of it.”

Source: National Security Agency NSA

The Morrison Center, constructed on the National Security Agency (NSA)/Central Security Service (CSS) Washington East Campus, has received the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification — the first project on the campus to earn the designation.

“The Morrison Center demonstrates that innovative design, functionality, and environmental stewardship can coexist harmoniously to create exceptional spaces for the benefit of both people and the planet,” said Randy Westfall, chief of Installations & Logistics (I&L).

Recent awards bestowed upon one of NSA’s newest buildings is further cementing NSA’s Military Construction (MILCON) team as a leader in sustainable and innovative builds.

“Obtaining LEED Gold is a notable achievement, demonstrating that our next-generation operational mission space has been built with attention to both the workforce space and the larger environmental impact of our expansion,” said Jeffrey Williams, the environmental engineer responsible for East Campus sustainability.

Williams noted that the accolades not only highlight the building’s outstanding design and functionality, but also demonstrate NSA’s commitment to environmental stewardship and efficient resource management. “The Morrison Center boasts state-of-the-art insulation, high-performance windows, and efficient HVAC systems to minimize energy consumption and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

LEED certification is the premier, globally recognized symbol of sustainable building design and construction. While all the buildings on East Campus are built to be LEED Silver, the Morrison Center is the first NSA-owned building to achieve LEED Gold, according to Williams. This certification signifies that the Morrison Center meets stringent criteria for energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor environmental quality, and sustainable site development, he said.

The facilities throughout the building feature low-flow fixtures to significantly decrease water usage, as well as use of water from the reclaimed water system in industrial sources, promoting responsible resource management, Williams explained. The structure prioritizes the health and well-being of its occupants by incorporating ample daylight, superior air quality control, and ergonomic design principles, he said.

Additionally, the facility incorporates lush green spaces for storm water management integrated into the East Campus design, along with a rooftop garden and outdoor gathering areas. According to Williams, this was done to foster a connection with nature and provide a serene environment away from the mission tempo.

Finally, during the construction — managed by U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) Baltimore District East Campus Integrated Program Office — materials were sustainably sourced. From construction to interior finishes, the building utilizes locally sourced, environmentally friendly materials with recycled content, minimizing the impact on natural resources, Williams said.
 
Under LEED, an evaluated project scores points across six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environment quality (IEQ), and design innovation. Certification is achieved by documenting compliance with requirements in each category.

“The higher the degree of compliance, the higher the certification level,” Williams said. “Achieving LEED Gold demonstrates a high degree of attention to the sustainable aspects of the building’s construction.”

The certificate marks the latest significant recognition captured by the state-of-the-art building since it opened late last year. The Morrison Center, which serves as the new home for the National Security Operations Center and the Director, also won the Association of General Contractors Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering and Collaboration Award and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI) Intelligence Community (IC) Facilities Program of the Year.

The Marvin M. Black Excellence in Partnering and Collaboration Award is a highly coveted honor presented annually to construction projects that demonstrate excellence and achieve success by implementing the principles of partnering.

According to MILCON Chief Matt Boren, construction of the 843,000-square foot facility was successful due to six guiding principles established early on: putting the mission first, safety, operational readiness/schedule, quality, teamwork, and team experience.

“This project showcases partnering at its finest,” Boren said. “Collaboration and communication among stakeholders and the team’s commitment to a ‘mission first’ mindset resulted in a facility of exceptional quality that will play a vital role in protecting our national security for decades to come.”

The IC Facilities Program of the Year award recognizes buildings that demonstrate excellence in facility management, maintenance, and operations. The Morrison Center surpassed other facilities projects in the IC by implementing cutting-edge technologies and systems that optimize energy consumption, enhance occupant comfort, and streamline maintenance processes, Boren said.

By employing intelligent building automation, advanced energy management systems, and efficient waste management strategies, the facility showcases a commitment to operational efficiency and sustainable practices, Boren said.

The Morrison Center is a testament to the possibilities of sustainable architecture and design, according to Westfall.

“The receipt of these awards solidifies NSA’s position as a trailblazer in the IC,” Westfall said. “By combining architectural ingenuity, operational excellence, and environmental leadership, this extraordinary structure has set new benchmarks for sustainable building practices.”

As I&L looks to the future of the East Campus, the Morrison Center stands as an inspiration for architects, developers, and facility managers worldwide, Westfall explained.

MILCON is already applying the lessons learned in collaboration and design to create future structures on East Campus.

“Both the Chiari Center and the Kenny Center are being constructed with the goal to further establish the East Campus as the global state-of-the-art IC campus,” Westfall said.
 

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Interested in learning more about joining NSA’s mission? Visit NSA.gov/Careers for more information. 
 

Source: National Security Agency NSA

BALTIMORE, MD. — Seven National Security Agency (NSA) employees took the phrase “giving back to the community” to heart during a recent visit to Sandalwood Elementary School where they shared cyber safety tips with 4th and 5th grade students and talked about their careers at NSA.
 
A new NSA K-12 pilot program called “All In” coordinated the volunteers’ visit. The All In program supports under-resourced elementary schools in the counties surrounding NSA’s Maryland headquarters with STEM and world culture education. The program’s goal is to increase awareness and knowledge to build the next generation of citizens and professionals.
 
In celebration of Cybersecurity Awareness Month in October, the volunteers shared cyber safety tips, such as password security, the good and bad of geotagging, and how to stay safe on social media and while emailing. They also highlighted their own cyber careers and experiences.
 
“The students were engaged in the discussions, eager to share their own stories related to the topics, and walked away with a better understanding on how to be cyber safe at home and in the classroom,” said Jen Greenwaldt, the K-12 Outreach/All In Baltimore County liaison. “Seeing the excitement and engagement of students at these 4th and 5th grade levels was impressive. It made me more aware of the need to educate students on this important topic.”
 
For Servia D., an engineer at NSA, the visit was personally rewarding.
 
“I was pleasantly surprised to see how engaged the students were, and how much they already knew about cybersecurity topics at a very young age,” she said. “I am truly fortunate to be part of an Agency that is highly invested into giving back to the community and helping cultivate our future generation, especially in under-represented school communities.”

To augment Sandalwood Elementary School’s cybersecurity curriculum, the NSA volunteers also shared cybersecurity resources from the National Institute of Standards & Technology and the National Initiative for Cyber Education with the school’s teachers.
 
“With the evolution of technology and the next generation becoming more in-tune with the cyber world, it’s imperative to embrace the National Cybersecurity Workforce and Education Strategy to instill the importance of cyber safety,” Greenwaldt said.
 

Source: National Security Agency NSA

NSA has a long history of establishing research partnerships with universities, non-profits and industry, but it reached a new milestone in 2024.

The Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) recently established a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB), making them the first Hispanic-Serving Institution to join the Advancing Research Innovating Solutions through Engagement (ARISE) CRADA.

As part of this agreement, UTPB students and faculty will have the opportunity to work directly with NSA researchers and liaisons on unclassified mission problems. According to ORTA deputy director said Karen Presley, this new partnership is a step forward in increasing representation of diverse students into the program.

“Diversity brings different talent, experiences, and skill sets to NSA which can lead to innovative ways of approaching problems,” Presley said. “This is a win-win for both the universities and the Agency.”

ARISE provides collaborative research opportunities to diverse, underrepresented student populations and faculty. According to Presley, it also supports NSA’s efforts to build and sustain a diverse, expert workforce that continues to provide the Nation with competitive advantages.
Presley first connected with Brian Shedd, who was then working for a public university, at a technology transfer event in 2017. They discussed collaborating on a CRADA, and although that specific agreement never came to fruition, Shedd and Presley kept in contact over the years.

Fast forward to 2024, Shedd, who is now the executive director of UTPB’s Office of Innovation and Commercialization, reached out to ORTA about the opportunity for UTPB to join the ARISE program. That initial chance conversation seven years ago turned into an impactful opportunity for NSA, UTPB, and the greater southwest Texas region, Presley said.

“It’s a testament to the idea that no interaction is too small: a brief run-in with a colleague can, years later, turn into a major collaboration,” she added.

UTPB prides itself on being a small school that thinks large and lives locally, according to Shedd.

“National security, cybersecurity, and infrastructure are all topics that are important to our region,” he said. “This partnership is unique for the university and provides an opportunity for students to get their hands on early stage technology.”

According to Shedd, the university’s business and computer science programs will start by performing market and intellectual property assessments. Eventually, they will participate in research and development to address some of the Agency’s mission problems.

“This partnership has been years in the making, and we’re excited to finally see it come to fruition,” Presley said. “I really can’t wait to see what the students at UTPB are able to achieve through this CRADA.”

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NSA ORTA establishes partnerships with industry, academia, and other government agencies to help accelerate mission goals, advance science, foster innovation, and promote technology commercialization. Click here to learn more!

Source: National Security Agency NSA

Join the National Cryptologic Museum for the 10^th Annual STEM Fest! Explore a world of discovery where science, technology, engineering and math come together!

Get ready for hands-on exhibits, exciting activities and industry experts that will help spark curiosity and creativity!

The NCM is partnering with the Maryland STEM Festival for the 10^th consecutive year. It’s a chance to explore the latest innovations in the STEM fields and have a family fun adventure! STEM Fest is free and open to the public.

When: November 9,^, 2024 10am-4pm
Where: National Cryptologic Museum
8290 Colony Seven Rd, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701
 

Source: National Security Agency NSA

Last month, National Security Agency (NSA) affiliates traveled to North Dakota’s Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation to teach Native high school students about programming, cybersecurity, and robotics.

Dr. Adam Tagert from Research and Dr. Nathan BrownEagle from Cybersecurity attended NSA Day, the final day of the Sandia National Laboratory-sponsored camp at Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC)—a private tribal land-grant community college founded by the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in 1972.

NSA’s diverse workforce, cybersecurity mission, and history of bringing the robots to Indian Country attracted the attention of the National Nuclear Security Administration and Sandia National Labs. Sandia then extended the invitation to NSA’s American Indian Alaska Native Employee Resource Group (AIAN ERG) to participate in the event with Tribal community colleges and universities.

NSA Day at the camp was included for students interested in future STEM or cybersecurity careers. TMCC has a strong focus in cybersecurity and is working towards accrediting a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity to add to their Associate of Applied Science program.

The first assignment of NSA Day at the camp was to program a set of robots to play soccer.

“It was inspiring to see students take a difficult challenge and the excitement that followed when they saw the robots move based on their commands and programming,” Tagert said, explaining that is the benefit of robotics. “It’s the ability to see the effect on the real world compared to changing something on a monitor.”

After a few soccer matches, where the students had the robots push a neon green foam ball into the goal, the NSA team performed a cyberattack on the robots to show that without cybersecurity, simple attacks, like a denial of service (DoS) can make cyber devices uncontrollable. A DoS is an event in which an attacker sends more information than the recipient can handle, which causes delays or missed commands.

The students then experimented by attacking each other’s robots and defending themselves with a mitigation that caused the robot to stop listening to commands over a set threshold. The students took to the final activity eagerly, which was more programming intensive than the soccer game and cybersecurity component.

This camp has appealed to Native youth in the past, even successfully attracting Native interns to Sandia National Labs over the past two summers.

“Hopefully, these students will be interested in applying for Stokes or other programs,” BrownEagle said. “Our opportunity to present just shows the impact of NSA reaching out to a broader demographic of STEM fair participants.”

BrownEagle added that a shortened version of the activity has also been presented at various national STEM conferences over the years.

“I’m grateful that Sandia recognized the value of Adam’s curriculum and invited us to bolster the region’s cybersecurity education for these Native students,” BrownEagle said.

Source: National Security Agency NSA

FORT MEADE, Md. – “It shows you how fragile life is,” mother of Flight 93’s youngest victim said with tear-filled eyes at the sight of her 20-year old daughter’s photo and purse on display at the 9/11 memorial in the lobby of the Morrison Center on NSA/CSS Washington’s East Campus.
 
Earlier this year, Deborah “Debby” Borza donated to NSA the purse that her daughter carried on 11 September 2001. She was recently invited to the Agency to view this memorial on what would have been her daughter, Deora Bodley’s, 43rd birthday.

Debby Borza weeps at the sight of NSA’s Flight 93 memorial in memory of her daughter.

Borza and her partner, Gregory Linden, began their visit at the National Cryptologic Museum with a guided tour from the Center for Cryptologic History Chief John Tokar and a retired NSA employee and museum docent.

After a first-hand look into the Agency’s history, Borza and Linden boarded a van to East Campus to see the 9/11 memorial.
 
“What a great honor to have you here,” Deputy Director Wendy Noble said as she greeted them both upon their arrival.
 
Noble shared with Borza how much this memorial means to NSA.
 
“The reason we have it in the front of the building is especially for new employees, to remember why you’re here,” she said.
 
The project manager of the 9/11 memorial, and other members of the Morrison Center construction team were also present for the visit.
 
“A lot of folks that come and work here were born after 9/11,” the project manager said, sharing how the memorial helps the workforce relate to this tragic event in history.
 
 The co-facility manager and former Morrison Center construction manager, along with members of the Facility Management Team from East Campus, also got emotional and thanked Borza for her contribution.

Picture of Flight 93 victim Deora Bodley, and the purse she carried on 9/11 on display at the 9/11 memorial at NSA/CSS Washington’s Morrison Center.

The co-facility manager explained how Borza was instrumental in the Flight 93 memorial at NSA becoming a reality, and her visit brought it all together.
 
Borza was equally grateful for the time and hard work they put into the entire display, especially the piece honoring her daughter.
 
“To the gentlemen who built it, thank you,” she said. “Thank you for taking on that responsibility. This is amazing.”
 
The 9/11 memorial displays: an American flag from Shanksville, Pennsylvania; elevator tracks from the World Trade Center; limestone rubble and a partially melted laptop from the Pentagon; and Bodley’s purse, cleaned and preserved from the Flight 93 crash site.
 

A Day Etched Into Memory

 
On 11 September 2001, Borza’s daughter was entering her junior year as a French and child psychology major at Santa Clara University in California, and was returning to school after a visit with girlfriends on the East Coast. She had gone to the airport early that morning to accommodate her friend who had an early class. While Bodley was not scheduled to be on Flight 93 traveling from Newark International Airport to San Francisco, she was able to get a seat on standby.
 
Borza was at work when she got a tearful phone call from her daughter’s friend, saying that she had gotten on an earlier flight.
 
It was in that moment that Borza had an unsettling feeling, and went to a church across the street to pray. Borza recalled that she asked God, “Where is Deora?” and she heard a quiet voice respond, “She’s with me.”

Moments later, Borza got a call from the airline, and heard, “I’m sorry to inform you—” from the other line. Borza dropped the phone.
 

Debby Borza reads a quote at the 9/11 memorial.

Remembering and Honoring Her Daughter’s Legacy

 
Bodley dreamed of becoming a child psychologist, and was committed to community service, volunteering in high school, working with the America Reads program, and tutoring kids after school.
 
Since that phone call, Borza has dedicated her life to honoring her daughter and the other lives lost in Shanksville, and even relocated to Maryland to be closer to the crash site and to Washington D.C.
 
She has been a fixture in Congress and Shanksville since 2001 — working on memorial plans, committees, and legislation where she served on the board for Families of Flight 93 and the 9/11 National Memorial Trail.
 
“She’s the unofficial mayor of that place! Everybody knows her,” Tokar said as he accompanied Borza to the Flight 93 crash site.
 
Borza spent the day prior to the NSA visit at the Flight 93 memorial in Pennsylvania, watching the recent solar eclipse and commemorating her daughter’s birthday.
 
She was asked to speak to a school group that was scheduled to be at the Tower of Voices memorial that day to highlight history and take in the experience. There, Borza and the students made memories as they ate Oreos (her daughter’s favorite snack), and got to see a scientific wonder happen before their eyes.
 
“Being with those kids, I felt Deora closer than ever before,” Borza said.
 
The Tower of Voices, a 93-foot tall musical instrument holding 40 wind chimes, stands as a landmark feature near the entrance to the Flight 93 National Memorial, located in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

NSA Deputy Director Wendy Noble with Debby Borza, mother of 9/11 victim, standing in front of the 9/11 memorial at NSA/CSS Washington’s East Campus.

The living memorial creates a set of forty tones (“voices”) to remember Bodley and the 39 others who died through their ongoing voices.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done,” said Ms. Noble, further recognizing Borza’s tireless work to help memorialize those who lost their lives 23 years ago.
 
Borza replied tearfully, “I did it for her.”
 
Before the afternoon concluded, Ms. Noble gave Borza her personal coin.
 
Borza recalls how the trip to the Agency to see the final piece of her daughter’s memorial was a fulfilling culmination to an emotional week, and before leaving Borza told the crowd, “Some people say ‘Never Forget,’ I like to say, ‘Remember.’ I know for sure, Deora’s very happy.”