Flag in Fire House a Consistent Reminder of 9/11

As the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, we're going to start bringing you coverage of Mt. Airy connections to 9/11. Here, we take a look at a very special commemorative object that Mt. Airy firefighters hold near and dear to their hearts.

This flag (shown left) hangs inside the Engine 9, Ladder 21 fire house on Germantown Avenue.

Firefighter Tracy Peterson was part of the ladder company on Sept. 11, 2001. The company didn't do any fire department work directly related to the terrorist attacks that day, but soon afterward, he said, residents of Germantown Home, a nursing home next door to the fire house, helped stitch various quotes on to an American flag, which they then presented to the firefighters.

The quotes, which were taken from members of the community (like the students at nearby Eleanor C. Emlen School), say things like "God Bless Them," "I Love My Homeland" and "We Shall Overcome This Tragedy."

"The amount of time and work they put into it," Peterson said. "It kind of tugs at your heartstrings."

Peterson also said members of the ladder company took a trip to New York after 9/11 to meet with members of Ladder 21 in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood and to present them with a painting. A photo of that meeting is shown left.

Courtesy of mtairy.patch.com