America's Latest Symbol of Permanence and Recovery
A 20-FOOT BY 30-FOOT AMERICAN FLAG was flying over one of the World Trade Center buildings and was found afterward laying across the wreckage, 40% of it destroyed.
Jeff Parness
Seven years later it was taken to Greensburg, Kansas, following a devastating tornado and many of the survivors of the storm stitched the pieces of the flag back together. After that it began an odyssey across the country and selected people added stitches and patches to the flag as it made its many stops. The National 9/11 Flag WEBSITE continues:
Over 200 Million Americans have experienced The National 9/11 Flag through national and local TV coverage, public displays in small town gatherings, and major cultural and sporting events. The flag has been stitched by soldiers and schoolchildren who survived the shooting at Ft. Hood, Texas, by World War II veterans on the deck of the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor, by the family of Martin Luther King Jr., by 20 Members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol, and by thousands of everyday service heroes nationwide.
On President Lincoln’s Birthday, a piece of the flag that Abraham Lincoln was laid on when he was shot at Ford’s Theater was stitched into the fabric of The National 9/11 Flag. In May 2011, The National 9/11 Flag was presented as the official flag for The Kentucky Derby.
Photos via WMUR-TV
Last week the flag stopped at fire station 2 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for its only stop in the Granite State. Following a moving ceremony with the combined police and fire honor guard, a group of citizens each stopped by and stitched a piece back into the flag. Included were three patches taken from the three flags that were flying over each of the city's firehouses when the attacks occurred.
WMUR-TV had their camera crew at Station 2 last week and you can view their excellent report HERE.
Hat tip to Mark D.
* * * * * * *
Also on FireGeezer…
- Shock … followed by purposeful action – September 11, 2011
- A different Fire EMS blogger meet-and-greet – September 11, 2011
- Special Parade Tribute in Northern Minnesota – September 10, 2011
Recent Comments