The Great American Flag Preservation Group unfurled for the victims of United Airlines Flight 93
“Watching that enthusiastic cross-section of America come to the rescue and handle seven tons of red, white, and blue was an inspiration for us all.”
- Len Silverfine
ON DISPLAY
REVIVAL
Our organization's first display of the Great American Flag took place on September 14th, 2019 in Derry, PA. The flag was last unfurled in 2001 shortly after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Without having seen the flag outside of its storage trailer since, our primary purpose behind this display was to inspect its condition and understand what efforts are needed to restore the flag to its full glory. We were delighted to see the Great American Flag is in terrific shape. Structurally, the fabric is very sound. The folks at Anchor Industries who constructed the flag nearly 40 years ago should be very proud of their work! The fabric had sustained some discoloring, believed to be from the ropes used to hoist the flag. Janet Brady, a textile expert from Thomas Jefferson University, was onsite and will lead the effort to counteract the discoloring. We are optimistic we will have the flag fully restored before the end of 2019!
The participation and enthusiasm from the local community was uplifting. Hundreds of people gathered at Advanced Carbide Grinding, a local business whose owners generously shared their land and resources for the event. Volunteers representing organizations of all sorts rallied together to unfurl the monstrous flag and behold the spectacle. The feeling of patriotic service was inspiring. The southwestern Pennsylvania community showed their trues colors are a vivid red, white, and blue.
