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Setting out flags at the fort for the fallen
On Thursday, a group of Fort Scott Christian Heights students got a personal, hands-on view of the sacrifice of U.S. soldiers over the years.
FSCH middle school students took part in placing nearly 7,000 U.S. flags on the parade grounds of the historic site in preparation for the annual Symbols of Sacrifice.
The event starts today, which is Patriot Day and the National Day of Service and Remembrance in memory of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Students were first instructed by fort staff on how to place the flags. When all 6,828 flags are placed, they will cover the parade grounds at the historic site. Each flag represents one service member who has died while serving in theater supporting U.S. military operations during the War on Terrorism.
"This is to honor the soldiers who have fallen for what we stand for," Zoe Self, 13, an FSCH eighth grader, said.
The FSNHS is honoring the sacrifice of Americans throughout the nation's history during the Symbols of Sacrifice event, which runs through Sept. 17. FSNHS staff said the main focus of the event will be the Field of Honor, patriotic musical performances and the reading of the names of the nearly 7,000 who have died in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Self and Anna Guilfoyle, 12, a seventh grader at FSCH, said they learned about the event at school. Guilfoyle said the event also honors the memory of the 2,977 people killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.
Both girls said that even though it was warm Thursday, they enjoyed getting together with classmates to place the flags and recognize what they symbolize and the significance of sacrifices made, as well as the importance of the Symbols of Sacrifice event.
"The heat is bad but it's still fun," Guilfoyle said.
Although too young to remember the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Self talked about what she has learned about 9/11 and that tragic day.
"It was how we came back," she said. "It rattled us but we came back and declared war on terrorism. We decided we wouldn't let that happen again."
The purpose of Symbols of Sacrifice is to remember the fallen, their sacrifice and their humanity and not to glorify war, according to the FSNHS.
Groups of students from Uniontown schools were scheduled to visit the historic site this morning to help with flag placement.
Bill Fischer, acting chief of interpretation and resource management and historian at FSNHS, said students and concerned citizens will place the flags on the parade ground. The public is invited to participate and will need to register first and receive instructions at the site's visitor center upon arrival.
Fischer commended the FSCH students who have helped with placement of flags each year of the event.
"You guys have always done a really good job for us," he told the students.
Fischer said later Thursday the students completed about 20 percent of the work needed to place all of the flags. In an ideal situation, with the weather cooperating and enough participation, Fischer said he estimates all of the flags will be displayed by the end of business hours today. Flags were placed in squares of a grid that encompassed the entire parade ground so the flags are evenly distanced.
Symbols of Sacrifice also includes two musical performances. The free Friday Night Concert in the Park typically held at the Heritage Park Pavilion will take place at 7 p.m. tonight on the bricks outside the historic site's visitor center.
Several area musicians are scheduled to perform patriotic music during the concert. The FSNHS also welcomes the U.S. Army First Infantry Division Band's Brass Quintet from Fort Riley, which will perform a free concert on the historic site grounds starting at 6 p.m. Saturday.
There will be a special recognition for all Vietnam-era veterans in attendance just prior to the concert.
A reading of the names of the honored dead over the downtown public address system will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday. The Field of Honor will remain open during daylight hours from today through noon Thursday, Sept. 17.