On Wednesday, Sept. 3, members of the Stanford community, the volunteer fire department, and the town’s 9/11 committee gathered at Stanford Town Hall to honor the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
This year, about a dozen students from Stissing Mountain High School joined longtime volunteers in planting thousands of flags across the hillside. None of the students were alive when the towers fell, but they said their participation was both a lesson in history and an act of community.
“The fire department helps us with the car wash, so we’re here helping them out to put up the flags,” said one student. “I think it’s important to honor them,” another student said.
For two decades, volunteers have carefully installed 2,977 flags — each representing a life lost —using a grid system designed to stretch across the lawn in precise rows. Among them, 343 red flags mark fallen firefighters, 72 blue flags honor law enforcement officers, and one flag pays tribute to Sirius, a Port Authority K-9 who died in the line of duty.
The effort began when longtime volunteer Ed Zick saw a smaller tribute in Great Barrington, Mass., and pitched the idea to his colleagues. A committee of a dozen firefighters and residents quickly formed, and each September since, they have returned to the hillside to recreate the display.
“You have to remember all these flags represent people,” Zick said, pausing over the rows of red, white, and blue. “They left in the morning and told little Johnny, ‘I’ll be home in time for your soccer game.’ And now, all of a sudden, they’re not coming home. So it’s very emotional, it’s very touching.”
The tribute is personal for Zick, who lost close friends in the attacks, including New York City firefighter Paul Tegtiemer, and for others who recall Stanford firefighter Dennis Gilhooly, who died in 2019 of cancer linked to his service at Ground Zero.
Even as the years pass, the grief remains immediate. “It still feels real to me,” Zick said. “I can remember waiting that day to hear, is he ever coming home again? I cry.”
Next week, on Sept. 11 at 7:15 p.m., the community will hold its annual memorial at Stanford Town Hall, with prayers, the reading of names, and spotlights shining into the night sky to symbolize the Twin Towers.
Looking ahead, organizers are preparing a larger tribute next year to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks: 3,000 ribbons inscribed with the names of victims by local students will be tied along the town hall fence, accompanied by a recording of all 2,977 names played throughout the day.
“What we want to do is get with the school, write the names on the ribbons, and staple them all along the fence,” Zick said. “That way the younger generation understands what 9/11 is all about.”
For many, the solace lies not just in remembrance, but in community. “I do find that the community coming together is very important,” Zick said. “That’s why we do this.”