News & Letters From The Families
My husband was killed on flight 175, and I would love to find out how to get a flag. My mother-in-law has one, but I don't recall how or where she got it. If you could please let me know I would really appreciate it.
Thank you for all that you do!
Sincerely,
Alison K, wife of Brian
Gwen,
This is Joe. I met you about 4 years ago in Wilmington when I was living there...My brother died in the towers on 9/11 and you were so kind in giving me some flags to bring back to N.Y. I spoke to you last year in the hopes of getting some flags for the memorial golf tournament in my brother's name.
Joe M
Gwen - just thought I'd drop a note to let you know that your 9-11 Remembrance Flag was flown in Iraq and now another is on its way to
Afghanistan to our daughter who is deployed.
Thomas B
My son was killed at the WTC. He was a volunteer EMS worker, 18 years of age. I would like to know how I can obtain the beautiful 9/11 Remembrance Flags, to display. I always fly an American Flag outside my house, so people will never forget why my son and others died and what we stand for.
DP
I worked in the WTC in the North Tower and was at my desk that day. My best
friend didn’t leave. You know I’ll never forget!
Ben K
Just came across your site. I remember seeing this flag on one of the impromptu memorials around the WTC site while I was down at Ground Zero working during the recovery. It always stuck in my head. I think I have a picture of it somewhere but never knew how to get ahold of one. Could only remember the image of the twin towers inside the outline of the pentagon. Along with everything else I have seared in my memory during that time this flag is among them. Thank you for making it.
David G
You are doing a wonderful thing. My son is a survivor of that horrible day, he made it out of tower 2 about 10-15 minutes before it collapsed...
Mary Ann C
As a firefighter on duty in Washington State that day, I cannot but help to remember what happened that day. I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who supports the emergency responders and a HUGE THANK YOU to your organization for doing such a wonderful act of kindness for the families.
Michael C
To all the brave heroes that gave their lives freely to save people they never knew, to all the families that lost loved ones and to all the innocent civilians that lost their lives needlessly.............YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!!!! You are and will always be in our hearts and will always be in our minds..... R.I.P
Robert E
United Kingdom
I remember very well. I was there all through that first night and remember very well. I was there all through that first night at ground zero. I'll tell you what i most remember: I remember
feeling connected to the whole world, and the overwhelming sense of compassion coming from these souls and to these souls from throughout the world. Overwhelming compassion...
Thank you. Anthony D
I am the Post Quartermaster for Marion Post 661 Veterans of Foreign wars, and the President of the Greater Salem Area Veterans Organizations in Salem Oregon...I saw the flag in the ROTC Comanding officers' office at Oregon State University...I have a Veterans' Memorial at the VFW which I fly a variety of flags. I would like the 9-11 flag to one of them.
God Bless your efforts,
Kerry W
I am a rescue and recovery worker from the 911 terror attacks on the Twin Towers. I found your remembrance flag while looking for help with 911 medical problems. I worked down there for six months from day 1.
I am an EMT. I was just getting off duty when all this happened and turned around and went to ground zero to work for the next 6 and a half months doing this and working a regular job on the ambulance. I did it with the belief that you never leave a man or woman behind. I knew that whether people lived or passed they needed to come home and I did my best to accomplish this. I lost many friends that I had worked with throught the years. One of the last days down there I kinda got spooked & I couldnt go back. Ive been affected very badly by this. I felt like I should have stayed with it a little longer, but the sites sounds the smells that were there are still with me everyday like it was yesterday. I had a counselor I could talk to but she was just gone one day so I never went back, and I was on my own...almost everyday something happens that brings the memories back, my last good sleep was sept 10,2001. I am so happy that you are remembering emergency medical techs along with the fire police and papd. You always here about the fire and police but the emergency medical emergency techs and medics who were also there seem to be left out. Thank you for remembering all of us in emergency services. The flag you have created is a beautiful contribution to that horrible day.
Dominique S
I am in the United States Air Force and a KC-135R Pilot currently serving in the middle east. I was given one of your stickers by a neighbor before I left who was very touched by your flag and flies it every day. He gave me the sticker to bring with me to serve as a reminder when times get tough. I am sending you this letter for a couple of reasons.
One, I wanted to let you know how much your remembrance flag has meant to me as well as all I share it with. I am going to attach a couple of pictures to this email for your viewing pleasure. Since I arrived in our “Un-disclosed” location in the middle east I have placed your sticker on my instrument panel on every Combat Mission I have flown into Iraq and Afghanistan.
Two, a tradition we have is to fly American flags in the back of our aircraft for our loved ones and to present them when we return. What I would like to do for you, is to extend the same courtesy and fly one of your flags on a Combat Mission and send it back to you with a picture and certificate.
Your flag design serves as a great reminder to all of us for why we are here. It reminds us to never loose hope, never falter and never forget. Thank you for all you have done. I am looking forward to hearing back from you.
May God Bless You and GOD BLESS AMERICA!
James D
The "Remembrance Flag has flow at half-mast at our courthouse in Gaston County for the past ten years on 9/11. We use the pins as gifts to our speakers on 9/11. This year, would you please give us permission to use your "Never Forget" emblem at the top of our notices for our Commemoration to be held on Saturday, September 10. Thank you for your consideration.
Martha J
M
Patriot Guard Riders honor 9/11 victims with ‘Never Forget’ flags
September 2, 2026
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, people across the country are reflecting on a day that changed the nation forever.
In southeastern North Carolina, the Patriot Guard Riders are working to keep the memories of those who died — and the first responders who ran toward danger — alive for generations to come.
The organization is made up of friends, volunteers, veterans, former first responders and law enforcement officers who share a mission of honoring those who were lost.
“Volunteering our time to support first responders and veterans that have passed. We stand flag lines; we do motorcycle escorts to their final resting place,” said Kobe Kelley, a member of the Patriot Guard Riders.
On Wednesday, the group carried that mission from fire station to fire station, presenting special “Never Forget” flags to local fire departments.
The flags were designed by Gwen Loiacono, who says the idea came to her in a dream just days after the attacks. She envisioned the flag flying beneath the American flag on September 11.
“It ended up at the Cape Fear Museum on display for a couple of years, and then it ended up going to New York, and the rest is history. We’ve donated thousands of 9/11 flags to the family members and rescue workers,” said Loiacono.
Loiacono said the design was also created to spark conversation and help younger generations understand the significance of the day.
“It’s a very prominent flag; the colors are very vibrant, so if nothing else, it’s going to raise questions about, you know, what is this all about, and I think it’s a teaching moment; the 25 years, it’s also very important to never forget,” said Loiacono.
Wilmington Fire Chief Steve Mason said displays like the flags can serve as a lasting reminder, particularly for people who were too young to remember the attacks themselves.
“This is just a way of living that slogan of “never forgetting.” We’re going to take ours and display them proudly in our fire stations in recognition of not only their generosity but in remembrance of those who lost their lives on September 11th.”
Twenty-five years later, the memories of September 11 remain a part of the nation’s history — honoring the lives lost, the heroes who responded, and the sacrifices made that day.
Symbols of 9/11 - ShareAmerica
The unifying power of flags
September 2, 2026
After the 9/11 attacks, American flags appeared everywhere. Flags flew outside homes and businesses. One giant flag was unfurled adjacent to the damaged area of the Pentagon building. Another was raised by three firefighters on a remaining steel beam at the World Trade Center site.
As the demand for flags spiked, the supply sold out at Gwen and Richard Loiacono’s Wilmington, North Carolina, flag shop.
Rescue workers display the remembrance flag in New York. (Courtesy of Gwen Loiacono)
That situation spurred Gwen Loiacono to make a new flag to honor 9/11 victims. It features the twin towers inside a white Pentagon. A dark circle represents the Pennsylvania field where Flight 93 crashed. (Investigators believe that plane was headed to a Washington target and passengers and crew heroically lost their lives by forcing it down where it would not harm others.)
Before long, the Loiaconos’ “remembrance flags” flew at the World Trade Center site and at the Pennsylvania crash site. One was framed and delivered to the Pentagon.
“People were sending me photos showing various places throughout the U.S. where the flag was flying and telling me how much it meant to them,” she says.
Over the last 25 years, the Loiaconos have sold some 20,000 remembrance flags. They donated 10,000 flags to the families of those killed. “The flag gave them some comfort,” Gwen Loiacono says, recalling her conversations with victims’ families.
As years passed, she decided to update the flag. The banner that once said, “God Bless America” now reads “Never Forget.” That’s “more important than ever after 25 years,” she says.
We did our annual stair climb this morning downtown…carried the flag you gave me for the entire 110 flights…thank you again for the awesome flags
- Firefighter Erick T