Posted on 11/12/2002 10:02:16 AM PST by WSGilcrest
I don't know who this person was that took these
pictures but he sure did a good job.
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. Too 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
Thanks for the ping dansangel!
This is an absolutely outstanding photograph.
I hope to see it again somewhere in a 'Best Photographs of 2002' series.
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