3,031 large flags in Utah.
A reverent silence prevails in this eerie representation of those who died
on Sept. 11th.
I
never heard or saw anything about this in the media. I was going to
the bank when I saw this. Went home, got my wife Linda, and
came back with a camera. Below is my best, though inadequate,
attempt to share the experience with you.....
The above
picture was taken on the mall in front of the Sandy,
Utah city hall. Scroll sideways to see the whole thing. I
pasted the photos together to try and help show just how big this thing
was, but even with that, the photos don't do it justice. There was
very little publicity about this, but it was a real traffic stopper.
People would park and get out and walk among the flags. Some brought
bundles of flowers and left them at the base of a flag. Others came
together and just hugged each other hard in the silent memory of the
terrible loss that we suffered one year ago. We all know over 3000
people lost their lives, but seeing this display, and walking among it,
helps put perspective on just how big a number that is.
Close up of the
one of the signs placed around the perimeter of the display. There
were also some international flags on display representing some of the
various foreign nations whose citizens dies that day. Interestingly,
this whole display was done by a local company that manufactures and
distributes flags and flag display equipment...and I saw not a single sign
bearing their name in the display. People walked through, and all
you could hear was the sound of the flags blowing in the breeze. A
reverent silence prevailed over the display as those who came each
reviewed his or her experiences of that fateful day a year ago.
I saw many
families while I was there. It was hard watching adults struggling
to cope with their own emotions while caring for children who were far too
young to understand the significance of the flags around them. To
the credit of the children, I didn't see any who could not somehow sense
that this was a special place. For a few moments, everyone who came,
young and old, male and female, families, and even a group of mentally
handicapped individuals stopped their busy daily lives to remember.
If those who caused this pain only knew how much stronger we have become,
and how terribly their comrades have paid, and will continue to pay, for
this horrible crime, I wonder if they still would have done what they did.
It's hard to
picture mentally just how big this thing is. As I walked among the
rows, I was reminded of rank on rank of soldiers standing at attention,
guarding us even now.
Some brought
flowers, small flags, notes etc. The flags didn't have individual
names on them so I don't know how people picked out where they would leave
these tokens as they experienced their own memories and grief. For
anyone who has ever shed a few tears at THE WALL (the Viet Nam Veterans
memorial in Washington DC) or during the changing of the guard at The Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, VA, this display is every bit as
moving in its sheer power to remind those who come of just how deeply we
all experienced the cowardly attack on innocent civilians in our own
homeland.
We parked about
a block away to get in and experience it up close. We weren't the
only ones as you can see.
please forward
Utah
remembers the victims of September 11, 2001
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