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Thousands of American Flags form ‘Healing Field’ in Sandy on September 11

Posted at 10:34 PM, Sep 11, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-12 00:34:59-04

By Dora Scheidell

SANDY, Utah -- It’s been a tradition in Sandy City ever since 2002, the year after the attacks on 9/11. Thousands of American flags sit in front of Sandy City Hall, transforming a grass field into a "Healing Field," where the community can pay tribute to the lives lost.

Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when that terrorist attack changed our country forever.

Bradley Demass, of Lehi, was still in high school.

“It was before school, and I turned on the TV and every station had the first tower being hit,” Demass said.

John Cook of West Valley City was talking to his daughter on the phone.

“Then when the towers came tumbling down, it was just too much. Knee buckling,” Cook said.

Demass was one of many soldiers who signed up for the military because of that day. Watching the display of patriotism in Sandy City Friday night, Demass was brought to tears as he thought about all of the men and women who lost their lives in the pursuit of freedom.

“I've actually lost more friends through suicide than I have through combat,” Demass said.

Others like Dorothy Roberts of Taylorsville were reminded about what our country is capable of.

“It also makes you wish that we had that same feeling of being so united as we were then," she said. "It makes my heart ache to think how divided we are today."

Even if it’s just for one evening, the Sandy community sits together to talk about what happened. It’s especially important for those who may have been too young to remember, like Victoria Evans of Salt Lake City.

“Now that I’ve been here so many years coming, and I’ve experienced these flags and read the stories, I feel like I know these people a little bit more and I know more about what happened that day,” Evans said.

The flags will be on display throughout the weekend if you want to come and pay your respects.