Dozens of volunteers gathered in Romare Bearden Park early Thursday afternoon to set up Charlotte's annual memorial to the people who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Students, veterans, office workers and volunteers knelt under the hot sun to plant 2,977 American flags in the shape of the Twin Towers, each flag representing a life lost.
The Flags of Remembrance are sponsored and organized each year by the Firefighter Steven Coakley Foundation, a nonprofit named for a 36-year-old firefighter killed in the South Tower’s collapse.
"When the alarms came from the Trade Center, he wasn't on shift, but he wanted to help," said Coakley's bother-in-law, Edmund Walker, who is the foundation's president.
To each flag, volunteers affixed a small photo of a victim. The photos are searchable through a QR code, so passersby can locate their loved ones.
The memorial will be on display through Sunday, with a special ceremony planned on Friday, the 25th anniversary of the attacks. In addition, a steel beam from the World Trade Center will be on display.
Two beams of light representing the Twin Towers will also shine over Romare Bearden Park on Thursday and Friday night in a new addition to this year's memorial.
Friday’s memorial service begins at 8:30 a.m. and will include the ringing of a bell to mark the times the four planes crashed and the North and South towers collapsed, as well as an additional toll for people who have died from illnesses related to the attacks.
