Local Flagmakers Unveil 9/11 Honor Flags

The Verona- and Roseland-based "Annin & Company Flagmakers" has unveiled four flags honoring the victims and heroes of 9/11 and the wars fought in its aftermath.

The unveiling on Thursday was attended by representatives from the New York Says Thank You Foundation, Flag of Honor/Flag of Heroes Project, and Voices of September 11th, and featured four flags;

The National 911 Flag: Destroyed in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11 and stitched back together on a journey across America.

The Flag of Honor and Flag of Heroes: The Flag of Honor contains the names of all those who perished in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, United Airlines Flights 175 and 93 and American Airlines Flights 11 and 77. The Flag of Heroes carries the name, rank and affiliation of the emergency services personnel who lost their lives.

The Honor and Remember Flag: Developed by a father who lost his son in Fallujah, Iraq, to create a nationally recognized flag that would fly continuously as a visible reminder to all Americans of the lives lost in defense of our national freedom.

Annin is producing these flags to benefit the foundations. Proceeds from the sales of the flags will benefit the New York Says Thank You Foundation, Flag of Honor/Flag of Heroes Project, and Voices of September 11th.

The National 9/11 Flag, which has become an American icon after it was hung at Ground Zero in the days after the attacks,  before continuing its tour of the United States. Jeff Parness, Founder and Chairman of the New York Says Thank You Foundation, said the flag would be in Joplin, Mo. on the 10th Anniversary of the attacks.

Joplin suffered a devastating tornado in May in which nearly 100 people were killed, and more than 40 percent of the town was wiped out.

Parness told Patch that Joplin is the perfect place for the flag to be on the anniversary of 9/11.

"We thought it would make huge statement that what happened on Sept. 11 didn’t just happen in New York, it happened in America. It doesn’t end with the 10 year anniversary. There will alwys be future disasters, and Americans will always be there for each other. The compassion of American people never ends."