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| 2021 Display on Art Hill, St. Louis Missouri |
St. Louis Missouri has a wonderfully moving display on Art Hill that
commemorates those who died on 9/11 and those who have died in the war on
terror in the 20 years since 2001.
This display first was put up on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and then
again on the 15th anniversary and now on the 20th anniversary. I have
been privileged to view the display each of these times and find it to be a
very emotional experience. Here is a photo I took this
year.
History of Flags of Valor
Here is a quote from the website on the history of Flags of Valor.
The first display of Flags of Valor in St. Louis was for the 10th
anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In that display 2977 flags were
placed on Art Hill. These flags represented the individuals who lost
their lives in the twin towers attack, the Pentagon attack, and on Flight
93, and the first responders who gave their lives to save others.
2016 Display
On the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks the display on Art Hill
honored those 6869 service members who lost their lives in the following
operations: Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, Iraqi Freedom, Inherent Resolve,
and Freedom's Sentinel.
2021 Display
In 2021the Flags of Valor organization has refined their purpose beyond
remembering to educating. With a new generation that wasn't even
born when 9/11 occured it is important to educate on what has happened and
what we must always remember. This years display is three
fold.
1. Remembering the Victims of the 9/11 Attacks
To remember the 9/11 victims, there are 6 oversized informational boards. Three are on each side of the Grand Basin. These boards visualize 2,564 victims of the 9/11 attacks.
There is also a flag with the names of all of the victims.
2. Remember the First Responders who Died
There are 413 flags above the Grand Basin to remember the first responders
who made the ultimate sacrifice.
3. Remembering Service Members Who Died during the War on terror since 9/11/2001
There are more than 7000 3' by 5' American Flags on the hill below the St.
Louis Art Museum. Each flag represents of service member who has died
since 9/11/2001 in the War on Terror. Each flag is marked with an
informational dog tag and a photo of the service member.
Information for this article was gathered from the Flags of Valor website at Flags of Valor STL All photos were taken by Mary Beth Granger.
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