MARIETTA, Ga. – A gentle breeze blew through Kennesaw Mountain National Park, ruffling the 3,000 flags set out in neatly marked rows.
Families – some with children too young to remember or who weren’t yet born a decade ago – stopped to take pictures or just remember on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.
There were 3,000 flags – one for each person who died during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 10 years ago.
It was a poignant scene, set on sacred ground, where during some of the fiercest fighting during the Civil War nearly 150 years ago, more 3,000 men were killed or wounded fighting for what they believed was the right cause.
On Sunday, there was time to remember those lost, how our world as changed and ponder what lay ahead.
At 1 p.m. On Sunday, Marietta police and firefighters paused their daily routines and turned on their sirens for one minute.
“On the 10th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, we must remember the brave individuals who lost their lives, and those who fought and continue to fight to prevail against terror and hatred around the world,” U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., said in a statement.
“Today, we join together as friends, family, and most importantly, as Americans, to honor the victims of unthinkable cowardice,” Gingrey added. “As Americans, we know that their deaths have not been in vain and we will continue to be resilient in our fight to prevent future acts of violence against this great nation.”
The Marietta Kiwanis Club sponsored the Field of Flags.
