The Pentagon memorial to local victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is designed to encourage personal reflection.

And Kathy Dillaber, whose sister Patty Mickley was killed Sept. 11, 2001, when a terrorist-commandeered airliner slammed into the building’s west side, has mixed feelings about the project, which will be dedicated Thursday.

Fred Jones, a data collection clerk in Houston, has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for nearly 26 years. Last month, the 49-year-old divorced father of two grown daughters got a letter from the agency asking him to consider retiring six years ahead of schedule.

Since Congress allowed federal employees to challenge outsourcing decisions at their agencies, beginning this past January, many employees have done so.