Historical Marker · No. 4410

Hope Rising - To Lift a Nation 9/11 Memorial

Sandy, Salt Lake County · Utah
Erected 2011

The flag was not found in the wreckage. Late on September 11, 2001, firefighter Dan McWilliams took it off a yacht moored at the Hudson River marina, and with Billy Eisengrein and George Johnson ran it up a tilted pole on the debris pile, where Thomas Franklin of The Record photographed them. Stan Watts's nine-foot bronze re-creates that frame. Its plaque sets it beside the first Healing Field, raised 200 feet south in 2002 with a flag for each of the 2,981 dead; by 2011, the same plaque counts, 523 such displays had followed nationwide.

What the plaque says

The Healing Field Story Dear Visitor, Amidst the horrific aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001, three New York City firefighters quietly raised an American flag. A flagpole bearing an American Flag, the simplest of devices, supported by the rubble of what used to be the World Trade Center, became a powerful symbol of hope to our country that day. That hope offered a measure of meaning to the rest of us as we processed with heavy hearts these cowardly attacks on our own soil. In that spirit, on September 10th, 2002, as the first anniversary approached, the first Healing Field Flag Display was erected 200 feet directly south of this location. The massive field of United States flags posted on 8 ft. tall poles, set in a reverent grid of perfect rows and columns, became a solemn, unifying and patriotic tribute clearly demonstrating the enormity of the loss of the 2,981 souls murdered on that fateful day. Many of the tens of thousands of visitors expressed a sense of healing as they walked through the field of flags. The title "Healing Field Flag Display" was adopted. By September of 2003, 534 men and women of our armed forces had perished in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Flags honoring our fallen military were posted as 4 more flag memorials arose on the second anniversary throughout the country. The designation "Field of Honor" was adopted for the military tribute flag displays. By the third anniversary, 35 additional fields of flags arose across America. By the tenth anniversary, 523 Healing Field and Field of Honor flag displays had touched the lives of millions nationwide. To the thousands of dedicated volunteers, Colonial Flag employees, generous friends, courageous Front Line Responders and members of our Armed Forces which came together each year to create a place to remember, honor and heal, I thank you. Paul B. Swenson - September 11th, 2011 The Hope Rising – To Lift A Nation Story Hope Rising – To Lift A Nation, is a heroic-size (9ft) bronze monument that depicts the three firemen who raised the American flag at Ground Zero soon after the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. The photograph of that poignant moment was captured by Thomas E. Franklin, a photographer for The Record, a newspaper in Bergen County, New Jersey. World-renowned sculptor, Stan Watts, was granted permission to create a sculpture in the likeness of this photograph. The humble wish of the three firemen depicted here is to honor the brave fire fighters who perished running up the stairs, offering hope to everyone running down. This monument will stand as a permanent reminder of a day we should never forget. It will serve as a fitting memorial for those we lost in the attacks of 9.11, and have since lost in the war on terror. Most importantly, it will stand as a symbol of the hope we felt on the day we lost so many...and stood together.

Where it stands

40.56994, -111.89539 · Directions

Worth the stop nearby

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