YORKTOWN HEIGHTS, N.Y. - At Whispering Pines Nursery and Garden Center, a striking tribute now covers the landscape: one American flag for every life lost on September 11, 2001.
The display is the vision of owner Chappy Manzer, who says the project is both deeply personal and long overdue.
“I have always wanted to do it, just never had the space,” Manzer explains. “I feel it is important to remember and not forget. A lot of younger people were not even born and don’t know the gravity of the event.”
For Manzer, the memorial is more than symbolic. Before 9/11, he worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 101st floor of the North Tower. Though he had left the firm prior to the attacks, most of the colleagues he once knew never made it out.
“At the time of 9/11 I was in graduate school at Brooklyn College, and I remember that day vividly,” he recalls. “We were told not to try to get home, and the uncertainty of that day and of those times will be something I never forget. I lost quite a few friends, and I feel like this is an appropriate way to remember them.”
Manzer hopes the field of flags reminds everyone of the weight of that day, while also inspiring others to honor the memory of the victims through action.
“Service to others is the best way to not forget those people that were lost,” he adds.. “Also trying to remove some of the anger and hatred from this world is a step in the right direction.”
The memorial, he confirmed, won’t be a one-time occurrence.
“This will definitely be an annual event,” Manzer concludes.
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