The National 9/11 Flag returned to campus as hundreds of accepted students, families, and alumni visited the college this weekend.
This is the second time the flag has come to Saint Anselm, previously making an appearance at the inaugural ceremonies for Dr. Steven DiSalvo Oct. 18, 2013.

“It is an honor and a blessing to have the 9/11 flag return to Saint Anselm College,” DiSalvo said. “The flag represents the resilience and faith that transpired on 9/12 and the days following.”

DiSalvo played a significant role in assisting the New York Says Thank You Foundation, the current custodian of the flag, in arranging a large donation to help fund volunteer activities. He also currently sits on the board of the foundation.

“My work on the Board of the New York Says Thank You Foundation has been focused on the education of young people to help them understand the importance of paying it forward.”

DiSalvo was proud to have the flag back at Saint Anselm.

“This flag is a reminder to all Anselmians that we are a school committed to serving others.”

Jeff Parness, president of the New York Says Thank You Foundation, told the story of the relic at the Admitted Students Open House Friday.

“This flag is not just about what happened on 9/11,” Parness said, “but what happened on 9/12: the start of a wave of compassion and service.”
One of the largest flags that flew over the World Trade Center in New York City, the National 9/11 Flag is a massive, 20-by-30-foot flag that has been repaired and stitched back together over the years by survivors of tragedy across the nation.

After the flag was nearly destroyed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Charlie Vinters, a construction superintendent at the clean-up effort at Ground Zero, instructed his crew to take down the flag from where it hung in the ruins. The remains of the flag then lay in storage for nearly seven years.

Vinters, who later became a volunteer for the New York Says Thank You Foundation, brought the remains of the flag with him and hundreds of other volunteers in 2008 when they travelled to Greensburg, Kansas to assist in the clean-up and reconstruction of the town almost completely destroyed by a tornado.

During the 9/11 Anniversary weekend of that year, residents of Greensburg joined disaster survivors from across the nation to stitch together the flag. In doing so, they forged a bond between communities as well.

Others who have worked to bring the flag back together include soldiers and schoolchildren who survived the Fort Hood shootings of 2009, World War II veterans, the family of Martin Luther King, Jr., members of Congress, and thousands of other service heroes nationwide.

Because some pieces of the flag were missing or damaged beyond repair, volunteers looked for some way to make the flag whole while still maintaining its integrity as a symbol of the United States. Volunteers began to patch holes in the flag using flags recovered from the wreckage of the Greensburg tornado, but it did not end there. Over the years, pieces from other famous flags have been added to strengthen this national symbol as well.

On Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, a piece of the flag that the 16th president was laid on after he was assassinated was incorporated into the National 9/11 Flag.

This did not mark the end of this flag’s impressive additions, however, for on June 14, 2012, threads from the original Star-Spangled Banner that flew at Fort McHenry were added to the flag. These threads come from the flag that, in the midst of the War of 1812, inspired Francis Scott Key to write the National Anthem.

This symbol of American Patriotism was on display at Sullivan Ice Arena during the Admitted Student Open House Friday, and continued to be available for students and visitors to view throughout the weekend.

Abbot Mark Cooper, O.S.B., concluded the flag’s time here at Saint Anselm Monday afternoon with a prayer and a blessing over the flag, as it completed its nationwide journey. As he began, he recalled the numbness every American felt as what felt like an ordinary day was quickly shattered.

“On a spectacular New England day, with a sky fit for a poet’s describing, terror came among us with stealth and great swiftness,” Abbot Mark said. “Our minds for a while were paralyzed, and when understanding returned our hearts broke.”

He continued: “Bless this flag, that all who gaze upon it may appreciate the heroism of so many connected with 9/11, may recall and pray for the thousands of victims of that terrible day, and may pledge themselves to work for peace and justice among all men and women.”

The National 9/11 Flag’s visit to Saint Anselm likely marks the final stop on its national tour. The flag is set to be installed at the September 11 Memorial and Museum at the site of the World Trade Center.