Nearly 3,000 American flags sprawl across the lawn at Tempe Beach Park, one for each person who was killed in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, urging onlookers to remember the lives that were lost.
“There is such raw emotion that comes back,” said Nick Bastian, the Tempe Healing Field event chair. “So many people vow to never forget.”
There is now a generation of young adults who were born after the 2001 terrorist attack who can appreciate the memorial and the effort to keep the victims’ memory alive, Bastian said. The flags at the Healing Field include placards with the name of a person who was killed in the attack, with ribbons denoting first responders and flight crews.
The Healing Field is one of many such exhibits around the country honoring people who were killed in the attack or suffered related health issues afterward. The Tempe Exchange Club coordinates the project each year and recruits hundreds of volunteers to place the flags and take them down after the event. The field is located at Mill Avenue and Rio Salado Parkway in Tempe.