West Sacramento honors 9/11 victims with sea of flags
A 9/11 memorial in West Sacramento, featuring a sea of flags, continues to honor lives lost, with its founder passing the tradition to his family
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
A sea of flags in West Sacramento is once again honoring the lives lost on September 11, 2001, with its founder passing the tradition to his family to ensure the memorial continues for generations.
“I remember watching the second plane hit tower two, and I remember screaming for him and saying, ‘A second plane hit. A second plane hit.’ He came running out of the bathroom, and he was watched, just devastated and, he turned and he said, ‘We’re going to war,'” said Christina Blair, the 9/11 display organizer.
The memorial, located at the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Locks Drive, was created by Blair’s father, John Vinson, as a tribute to those who lost their lives.
“He saw what was going on, and he grabbed a flag and waved it on an overpass, and they actually kicked him off the overpass due to distraction,” said Katelyn Brown, who has been volunteering for 19 years.
Vinson’s determination led him to create the expansive display, which has become a place of remembrance and reflection.
“To be able to see and come and learn and witness what we need to remember,” Brown said.
The memorial draws visitors and survivors, including Richard Hannaford, who was in the South Tower on the day of the attacks. “He was in tower two the day of and every year he comes and shares what happened […] and shares with us his story and how he survived,” Blair said.
The events of 9/11 also left a lasting impact on those who were not directly involved but vividly remember where they were when they heard the news.
“When 9/11 happened, I was a young boy living in Afghanistan, trying to follow my dream. But suddenly we saw the news displaying all over the world that the, the towers are hit by airplanes and I was about to join the Afghanistan Army and, then U.S. military came over, and somehow I met them, and they saw that I could speak a little bit of English and they said, can you help us? I said, yes, I was hired as a combat translator.” said U.S. military veteran Shir Niazy.
“I was actually working construction with my uncle, and they said that the towers got hit, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, I gotta go find my son,'” said Amanda Mikluscak.
“I was a college professor, and I had just turned on the TV to insert a video, and suddenly I saw that massive explosion. It’s still emotional for me,” said Amelia Benedict.
“I remember going to school and the entire day just watching it all on TV, and the entire class was silent. We all can, even at that age, grasp the seriousness of the situation,” Brown said.
As Vinson steps back from leading the tribute, his daughter’s family is committed to continuing the tradition.
“I’ve met people who were supposed to be on flight 93, and something happened and delayed them, and they missed their flight that day. So just keeping the memory alive is what I aim to do,” Blair said.
The display will come down Saturday morning, and organizers are inviting anyone who wants to help.
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