To honor the service men and women who have lost their lives since 9-11-01, St. Louis is hosting an amazingly moving tribute called Flags of Valor. On Art Hill, in Forest Park, there are more than 7,000 proudly waving flags.
Each 3 by 5 foot flag has the picture of the fallen soldier, along with a dog tag, as shown here. This particular flag is in memory of Amanda Pinson. Randy knows her parents and he volunteers on their committee with them as they plan an Afghanistan/Iraq memorial (MO Military Memorial Foundation) for those who gave all.
This hillside, in front of our beautiful art museum, is a popular St. Louis spot. In the summertime, people gather for picnics and festivals and St. Louis Symphony concerts. In the wintertime, children flock on snow days to sled downward toward the basin. Currently, the hillside is home to these flags. Although only on display for a few days, thousands will come to visit.
Flags of Valor went up Tuesday morning. At 6:30, 121 volunteers reported to set up. I know this because Randy was one of those helpers. They met trucks with loads of flags (each bundle weighing in at 50 pounds) and offloaded them.
Already attached to the poles, they then unfurled the flags and placed them on pre-marked spots which were carefully spaced at five foot intervals, row after row. The flags are placed in chronological order to represent the soldiers killed in action and then there is a single flag, in the center, that pays tribute to all who died back home on American soil as a result of PTSD.
As you walk between the rows, you see the crisp American flags and hear the gentle tinkling sound produced from the dog tag chains making contact with the poles. It's very moving.
Flags of Valor had many behind-the-scenes volunteers in addition to those who worked Tuesday. Additionally, there are 44 St. Louis corporate sponsors who donated everything from funds to the electricity to run the lights. Someone even donated storage bins in which the flags were stored.
This picture was taken at 6:30 Tuesday morning before the teams of volunteers began the transformation...
Flags of Valor had many behind-the-scenes volunteers in addition to those who worked Tuesday. Additionally, there are 44 St. Louis corporate sponsors who donated everything from funds to the electricity to run the lights. Someone even donated storage bins in which the flags were stored.
This picture was taken at 6:30 Tuesday morning before the teams of volunteers began the transformation...
and this was taken from the same vantage point at 6:30 in the evening.
Pictures don't do this justice. If you're local, you might enjoy seeing Flags of Valor in person. It runs through this Sunday, September 11.
A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.
John F. Kennedy
May God bless those who have lost their lives so that we can remain a free nation and may He also bless the families of these soldiers.
God bless the USA.
God bless the USA.