Flag flew over ground zero flew in Salem

Aila Boyd

A flag that was flew over ground zero in New York on Nov. 2, 2001 and has been on three tours in Iraq was flew at Salem Fire-EMS Station 1 in Salem where the 9/11 monument is for a couple of hours Wednesday, Nov. 2. The flag came to Salem as part of a ceremony that was attended by local first responders.

The 3-foot by 5-foot flag flew in Salem exactly 22 years after it flew over ground zero. It was signed by some of the workers who were at ground zero when it was flown there. To avoid damaging the flag, it is handled with gloves.

A moment of silence was held before the flag was flown. Those in attendance signed a book that travels with the flag.

The flag was brought to Salem by the “Ground Zero Flag Team.”

The flag, which travels with a cross fashioned out of marble recovered from what is believed to have been the lobby of the South Tower, has been flown over the Pentagon, on U.S. Navy warships like the USS Harry S. Truman and USS John Warner and on installations like Fort Bragg and Fort Dix.

The flag was flown at the 9/11 monument, which consists of two beams from the North Tower, at Salem Fire-EMS Station 1.
Photo by Aila Boyd

The purpose of the remembrance/tribute ceremonies like the one that took place in Salem is focused on “remembering 9/11 victims and survivors; paying tribute to the U.S. military battling the Global War on Terror; honoring the first responders who serve their communities and to also assure all of their families that we will ‘never forget’ the sacrifices their loved ones have made and continue to make for this great nation.”

The “GZ Flag Team” will likely be retired on the 25^th anniversary of when the flag last flew over the rubble of the World Trade Center, which will be Nov. 2, 2026.