ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - This week there is an incredible sight to see at Forest Park in St. Louis as thousands of American flags were planted on Art Hill to represent all those who died during the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 and every American soldier who has died since.
It's called Flags of Valor and it is the third mass flag-planting event. The previous two took place on the 10th and 15th anniversaries of 9/11. See photos of the setup below and learn more at FlagsofValor.com:
A sea of red, white and blue overtook Art Hill in Forest Park on Sunday morning
They'll be up through Sept. 12
Most of the flags are in honor of the men and women killed in military combat since those terrorist attacks
However, there's also a flag for each of the hundreds of first responders who died line of duty and every citizen who also died that day
The 7,582 American flags are all 3'x5' and stand 10' tall
413 flag have either a red or blue stripe to recognize the first responders
More than 7,000 flags have a dog tag and picture of a soldier who has died since 9/11
There were hundreds of volunteers out on Sunday morning to place the flags
The combined weight of the flags was 24 tons and if you tried to walk every row it would be a 11.5 hike
Flags of Valor has taken place twice before. In 2011 there were 2,977 flags and in 2016 there were 6,869.
The flags consume about 10 acres of space on Art Hill
Forest Park is open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m everyday and anyone is welcome to come see and walk through the flags
After the flags are taken down, many are delivered to the families of the fallen soldiers
Flags of Valor loves to see your photography! Please email them to: hello@flagsofvalorstl.com
