“To see all of the flags once they are out there, is so impactful to kind of identify how big of a number that is, and that each one of those flags represents a life that was lost.”Andrea Schuch, spokeswoman, Cape Coral Fire and Rescue Department
Across the country Thursday the heart-tugging strain from bagpipes will fill the air. Solemn words will be expressed by community leaders. And in Cape Coral, an abundance of flags will carpet the front of City Hall.
Thursday is the 24th anniversary of the attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in a Pennsylvania field. Two-thousand, nine-hundred and seventy-seven lives were lost in the 9-11 attacks.
Each person killed will be remembered with a own flag dedicated in his or her honor in the Cape Coral ceremony.
The public is encouraged to attend and help place the flags in the ground at the end of the ceremony, said Andrea Schuch a spokeswoman for the Cape Coral Fire and Rescue Department.
“To see all of the flags once they are out there, is so impactful to kind of identify how big of a number that is, and that each one of those flags represents a life that was lost,” she said.
The Cape Coral tradition of laying a flag in honor of the nearly 3,000 victims began four years ago on the 20th anniversary of the attacks .It was so moving, Schuch said, city, fire and police officials decided to do it again the following year on the 21st anniversary, and then again. And so on.
“We realized how impactful it was, not only to the department and the city, but to the community. We thought, well, we can't -- we don't want to just stop this and maybe bring it out every five years or so. This is something that we need to be doing each year, on the anniversary of the attacks,” she said.
WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.