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September 11 is Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance. At Flags USA, we join with our fellow Americans, to mourn together, honor the heroes, and remember those we lost on 9/11.
We all have a 9/11 story of how this day impacted us as Americans and what it means to us when we fly our flags at half-staff today.
I grew up in Staten Island, New York and my high school was not too far fromt eh Staten Island Ferry, which means that our high school was right across the Hudson River from Manhattan. Depending on where you were in the building, you could look outside of the classroom window and see the Twin Towers on fire.
My dad is a retired cop. He retired just a few months before 9/11 and he received a call initially asking him to come back in and to go help as a first responder and I was terrified for my dad because there were a lot of first responders from Staten Island because of the proximity to Manhattan, that were the first people on the scene. And a lot of them lost their lives. So, the whole situation honestly caused a lot of fear and uncertainty.
A month after the Twin Towers fell, people in New York really came together and banded together as a community. Number one, we came together to comfort each other because of all of the lives that were lost. At least for the first time in my lifetime, as New Yorkers, we helped each other, supported each other, and tried to get through this time together.
Being in the Junior ROTC in high school, I had a lot of friends that enlisted in the military right after we graduated, that served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Being the daughter of a retired police officer, we had friends whose parents and family members were first responders, many of whom lost their lives in 9/11.
For me, I learned that the American flag is about togetherness. It's about coming together, especially in the face of adversity. So when I had the opportunity to join the flag industry, I carried that meaning of the American flag with me.
And, so, for me, it's an honor to be a part of this industry to continue to remember all of the lives that were lost and sacrificed during 9/11.
In remembrance,
Lyneè Urban
Flags USA co-owner
