Photo By Spc. Miguel Alvarez | A man and child look out at the Field of Flags at Memorial Park Church in Allison...... read more read more
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PITTSBURGH – Community and family of service members gathered for the Field of Flags Memorial Ceremony at the Memorial Park Church in Allison Park, Pa., April 6 to remember the lives of lost service members who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Approximately 6,600 flags were planted on the hillside behind the church to honor each and every life lost during those conflicts.
“It wasn’t just 6,600 flags. It became personal by name and by face,” said Jaime Dean, the director of small groups and community care at Memorial Park Church.
During the ceremony, various people read off each name represented by each flag. Family members came up and told stories about their loved ones lost in war. Faith leaders spoke about the importance of faith and God during a time of mourning.
“I hope people felt loved, remembered or inspired to live well,” said Dean about her desire of what this event might accomplish.
She also said she’d like to see people reflect on what their own response should be in this world as a result of this ceremony.
Dean said that this event snowballed once the idea caught on. When the project began, they didn’t even have a logo to symbolize the ceremony, but once that was accomplished people joined to make it all work. It took the efforts of community organizers, volunteers, pastors and the support of families to bring it all together.
All of their time and efforts accomplished to bring more than a dozen Blue Star and Gold Star Families together and remember their loved ones within their community.
To sum up the meaning behind this memorial, Dean quoted John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
| Date Taken: | 04.06.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2013 12:34 |
| Story ID: | 104800 |
| Location: | PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Community remembers service members through Field of Flags, by SPC Miguel Alvarez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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