7,620 Flags to Transform St. Louis Art Hill for 9/11 Anniversary

Organized by the nonprofit America's Heartland Remembers, the Flags of Valor display is a labor-intensive tribute that materializes only once every five years. Starting September 5, more than 1,200 volunteers will maintain the site, where each flag carries a photograph and a custom dog tag. These markers identify the name, rank, and military branch of the fallen, turning abstract casualty figures into specific, recognizable lives. The memorial includes 2,977 flags for the victims of the 2001 attacks, while others commemorate service members killed in the War on Terror, including 18 personnel lost this year during Operation Epic Fury.

St. Louis Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Tracy, who responded to the World Trade Center site on the morning of the attacks, will lead the opening ceremony. The site will also feature a tribute to 412 first responders, whose flags will encircle the Grand Basin. For families like that of Petty Officer First Class Scott Wirtz, a U.S. Navy SEAL, the installation serves as both a public monument and a private space for reflection. The display remains open to the public through September 13, culminating in an overnight reading of the names on the anniversary itself.