LYNCHBURG, Va. – A moving display of 1,000 American flags is honoring those who serve.
“It’s not just the flags out there, it’s the meaning behind it,” said Steve Coleman, a 76-year-old army veteran visiting the Field of Honor.
Coleman says the exhibit, located on Graves Mill Road in Lynchburg, means so much because it represents those who serve.
“It’s basically saying, ‘thank you’ to every one of these individuals on the tags,” said Coleman.
Each flag has a tag you can sponsor. Proceeds are donated to local organizations, including food banks and veterans’ groups.
The Rotary Club of Forest organized the fourth-annual display, known as the Field of Honor.
“It’s a very emotional event for us, being able to put up all of these flags and having them honor so many different people; from healthcare to first responders, veterans and active military,” said Laura Tyree, charter member of the Rotary Club of Forest.
This year, 13 flags are sponsored for the troops killed in August during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“I don’t think that we could honor those 13 enough. They were doing their duty. They were fulfilling an obligation,” said Coleman.
“[It’s] just the sacrifice that these people gave protecting our country,” said Tyree.
You can visit the Field of Honor through Sept. 18th.
“I think everybody in the community needs to come and see it and thank these people for what they’re doing. It means so much,” said Coleman.
The Rotary Club of Forest will host a special ceremony at the Field of Honor on Sept. 11, to remember the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The event begins at 8:30 AM.