Students plant nearly 2,977 flags ahead of 9/11 anniversary in Oskaloosa

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (KYOU) - Students, first responders and volunteers spent Thursday morning placing 2,977 flags in Oskaloosa’s downtown square, one for every person killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Oskaloosa High School’s student council has made the walk for more than five years. The 55 students taking part honored an event they never lived through.

Junior Monica Hundley said each flag was more than just a part of a ceremony.

“Each flag that I put down, like every time I put it into the ground, I kind of think about like, this is somebody’s life,” Hundley said.

Student council president Jonah DeVore said the event is about passing down a lesson his generation never experienced.

“None of the students here were alive when the attacks happened,” DeVore said. “It’s a very tragic event, but it’s important to remember. And that’s why we’re out here is to remember and to educate the students about how important and how tragic this event was.”

One of the businesses working alongside students has a direct tie to Sept. 11. Musco Lighting sent crews to help at Ground Zero within 24 hours of the attacks.

Musco Lighting community and development manager Beth Danowsky said the event builds the community.

“They not only have the opportunity to just work side by side, but to talk a little bit about what they’re doing and to talk about their memories. And so that’s really a pretty special opportunity,” Danowsky said.

The flags will serve as a backdrop for Oskaloosa’s 25th anniversary commemoration Friday morning at 9 a.m. The flags will remain on display through Monday morning.