National 9/11 Flag on Display at BNP Paribas Open

It’s being called the modern-day version of the Star-Spangled Banner. The National 9-11 flag is on display at the BNP Paribas Open, for tennis fans to reflect on the strength of our country, since that fateful day. The remains of the once tattered American flag, were left waving on 90 West Street, just south of the South Tower. In the ten years that have followed, it’s been held gently, in the hands of the American people. Jimmy Sands is a fireman with Engine 331 of FDNY. He’s in charge of the national 9/11 Flag Tour. He says, “A bunch of little old ladies stitched the remains of the flag on 90 West Street, to this cotton backing and attached American flags they had found in the debris of the Kansas tornado. You can’t leave a flag like that, so we had to take it and restore it.” Like the country, the flag has been on the road to recovery, traveling around the nation. It’s been patched with pieces of retired flags from each state, by men and women in uniform, veterans, survivors of natural disasters, and even members of Congress. Each stitch is a unique piece of U.S. History. Sands says, “In Pennsylvania, there’s a museum that has the flag they laid President Lincoln’s head on, when he was assassinated. When they opened up the case, they found a small, blue sliver and that’s the sliver you see on the lower right side.” The story behind each and every piece, is enough to move some to tears. Susan Durand lost a close friend on 9/11. She says, “It’s a very painful memory, but it’s so healing to see something like this. How healing it must have been for so many people in our country.” This fabric of America will be the first thing you see when you walk into the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero. The unique symbol of our country, is a work in progress and a testament to the resilience of the American spirit. Sands says, “Basically, pay it forward.” Tonight, after the first evening match, the BNP Paribas Open will host a special ceremony recognizing veterans, military personnel, police and firemen, featuring the National 9/11 flag. All those service-people will get two complimentary tickets, for the evening session.