North Texas cities are making final preparations for Veterans Day on Tuesday, with several events across the Dallas-Fort Worth area honoring the men and women who have served in the U.S. military.

In Plano, a breathtaking display of 1,111 American flags is flying at the Red Tail Pavilion along East Spring Creek Parkway. Organized by the Plano East Rotary Club, the display serves as the centerpiece of the annual Flags of Honor event.

Monday’s strong winds made the sea of red, white and blue even more compelling.

“It is a sensory overload,” said the program’s founder, Ean Sullivan. “The wind, the sound of the dog tags, the sound of the honor cards, the sound of the flapping of the flags, it all comes together to give us this experience.”

The display has been drawing visitors for several days. The 1,111 flags symbolize Veterans Day, held annually on 11/11.

Tuesday’s ceremonies will begin with a special luncheon for veterans who registered in advance through the Collin County Veterans Coalition.

“At 3 o’clock, Congressman Pat Fallon has his congressional awards ceremony out here. I believe he has 20 recipients that he will be giving this award to,” said event co-chair Lisa Bloomer. “After that, we’re going to let the veterans find their tags out here in the field. All the recipients’ tags will be out here. They’ll find those, take pictures, have a celebratory cake ceremony, and then we’ll retire the colors, and we have a retired bugler who will play taps for us.”

This year’s display includes 64 new flags honoring Medal of Honor recipients from Texas. QR codes on the flags link to each recipient’s story.

Veteran Brent Allen and his mother drove in from Arlington to view the tribute.

“I think it’s amazing,” Allen said. “I think it’s an important part of our culture that we recognize veterans. I currently work at the Dallas VA Hospital, so I’m around veterans all day, and it’s an honor to work there.”

For Sullivan, who launched the event nine years ago, the Flags of Honor program is deeply personal.

“I’m a Vietnam vet, and when I came home, I didn’t have flags waving. They didn’t wave until probably Desert Storm, whenever people realized what they had done to the Vietnam vets,” he said. “For me personally, I do this to teach the next generation how important it is to honor the veterans.”

The Plano East Rotary Club continues to seek volunteers to help expand the event each year.