Story by Brock Pfrommer, contributing writer
2,977 American flags have been placed in front of Luther Memorial on Mary Hardin’s campus in remembrance of the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001. The number of flags planted is equal to the number of lives lost on 9/11 in the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. Those who died aboard Flight 427 were also counted among the fallen after the passengers heroically prevented the plane from reaching its target in D.C. The memorial serves to honor their memory.
The memorial flags were set up in the days prior to 9/11 by UMHB’s Young Conservatives of Texas student organization. This is one of the longest-running traditions of the YCT. The purpose of the memorial is to offer a chance for students and those in the wider Belton community to pause and reflect on the impact that 9/11 had on the United States. As it has been 22 years since the event, many in the current student body of UMHB were born after the attacks took place and do not realize the full extent of its influence. Emily Boyd, Vice Chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas said of the memorial, “This memorial reminds us of the lives lost and why we push our values of freedom.”
