Flapping, fluttering, flailing in the morning breeze still yet to warm, the poles of thousands of flags — anchored with rebar which pierced deep into the expansive grassy knoll — stood at attention as their shadows were shortened by the rising sun on that picture perfect day back on Tuesday, September 13, 2016.
Barely interrupting the solitude amidst a sea of red, white and blue was an unidentified woman — who in a poignant moment of patriotism and sorrow while bathed in yellow sunlight — spontaneously saluted those stars and stripes.
She then walked away.
American Flags In Memoriam Returns in 2021. You Can Visit.
Although I had taken a few photographs of an official tribute to the 2,977 people who died on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 — similar to the permanent memorial in New York, as a result of wanton attacks committed by a cowardly band of suicidal terrorists seeking to wreak havoc on the American way of life — exactly 15 years later on Sunday, September 11, 2016, it was amidst a crowded landscape of people swarming in and out of the flags…
…so I decided to return two days later to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Georgia on a tranquil Tuesday morning, fittingly during the time of day when the destruction of four airplanes and three buildings had occurred, causing those 2,977 innocent people to perish — twelve more people than there are acres in the entire park.
I walked out onto the field which had seen soldiers battle during the final stages of the Civil War of the United States, when the Union Army was closing in on its prize of Atlanta during what was known as the Atlanta Campaign. Walter Clark of the First Georgia Infantry is quoted as having said:
“Standing beside the breastworks on that summer evening, under the shadow of grim and silent Kennesaw, with twilight deepening into night, there were shadows on all our hearts as well, shadows that stretched beyond us and fell on hearts and hearthstones far away, shadows that rest there still and never will be lifted.”
Yet standing on that summer morning — under the shadow of the silent great green guardian known as Kennesaw Mountain, with sunlight drenching the land of the day — there were shadows of those stalwart flags, shadows that stretched beyond me and fell on the former battlefield, shadows that will remain etched in the hearts of those who viewed them long after they will have been removed.
Sometimes the flags appeared orderly, planned and in line…
…and sometimes they appeared random, chaotic and wild.
At times, you might actually believe that they were mourning the deceased and departed.
They even seemed to weave a fabric of sorts representing the mosaic which comprises the United States…
…but they always appeared to exude glory, majesty and pride.
A short raw video captured the movement of the flags on that quiet but breezy morning five years ago.
Final Boarding Call
Who would have thought that a patchwork of red, white and blue cloth could evoke such emotion from its onlookers? Who could believe that a solemn salute of stationary symbols would be more powerful than the unthinkable horror which changed the world on that fateful day, now 20 years ago?
I left the field that morning with an odd sense of fulfillment — as though I somehow contributed to perpetuating the memory of those who are gone forever by the simple act of paying a visit…
…so I have dedicated this article — as well as the article which I originally wrote five years ago — to the memory of the 2,977 souls who lost their lives 20 years ago. May they rest in peace; and may we never forget.
The flag memorial at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is on display every five years; and for 2021, at least 13 additional flags were added for those brave souls who recently lost their lives in Afghanistan — and this article is dedicated to them, too.
Although the official public ceremony already occurred at 7:55 this morning, Saturday, September 11, 2021, you can witness this sea of flags — each of which stands ten feet off the ground — for yourself at your leisure through Saturday, September 18, 2021. Either drive by the field on Old Highway 41 between Stilesboro Road and Kennesaw Avenue; or park your vehicle and leisurely stroll along the field to marvel at the flags.
If you do visit, the best time to arrive is when I did — early in the morning to avoid the crowds while taking advantage of the light from the sun rising.
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive
Kennesaw, Georgia 30152
770-427-4686 x0
The Visitor Center is open from 9:00 in the morning to 5:00 in the afternoon, seven days per week — except when it is closed all day on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day — although you can go out onto the field itself without having to go through the Visitor Center.
Other than parking — which will cost you five dollars for the day — admission to the park is free of charge.
All photographs ©2016 by Brian Cohen.
