2,977 flags placed at USF to honor those who died in terrorist attacks of Sept. 11
Three weeks before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Alex Stevenson was a seventh-grader, standing with his family atop the World Trade Center in New York City, enjoying the view of the city.
On the day of the attack, he was in his first-period art class watching the attacks on TV.
“I was in shock. It was hard to comprehend,” said Stevenson, now a 33-year-old campus policeman at USF Sarasota-Manatee and New College.
Stevenson was among students, faculty and staff who gathered Tuesday to plant 2,977 American flags in the courtyard of the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus. Each of the flags represented one of the victims of the attacks.
“It was very surreal,” Anderson said of watching the twin towers collapse. “We didn’t change classes that day.”
Tiffany Lam, a 20-year-old student at USF, has no memory of the attacks, but wanted to help with planting the flags in honor of those who lost their lives in the attack or in the rescue effort.
“Each of these flags represents a person. They were a daughter or a son to someone . Each person had a family. Being able to recognize the lives lost is really meaningful,” she said.
Carlos Moreira, who served on active duty with the Marines from 2000-2105, and continues to serves as a first sergeant in the Marine Reserve, spearheaded the flag display.
“The reason we are doing this is to never forget what happened on that day, Sept. 11,” said Moreira, who now serves as director of campus engagement for veterans success.
USF Sarasota-Manatee started the flag tradition in 2018, although last year’s event was virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moreira said.
USF will host a ceremony on its Sarasota-Manatee campus, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, on Friday, Sept. 10, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The ceremony will start at 8:15 a.m.
For more about the campus, visit www.sarasotamanatee.usf.edu.
This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 3:56 PM.
