Dozens of volunteers spent Sunday, July 19, attaching flags to poles, capping them and rolling them up inside a warehouse off Roswell Street in Marietta. Each flag represents a life lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
The work session was part of the Kiwanis Club of Marietta's Field of Flags project, which will place 2,977 flags at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park beginning Saturday, Aug. 29. The 2026 display is the project's sixth installation, according to the Marietta Kiwanis Foundation, and marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
Justin O'Dell, a Marietta attorney and one of three co-chairs for the project, said the cost of materials has risen sharply. In past years, the project ran $45,000 to $50,000. This year's price tag would have crossed into six figures without donations from the city of Marietta, Home Depot and Withers Tool in Mableton.
"If we hadn't had the materials donated, it wouldn't have happened," O'Dell said.
The city provided the flags themselves. Home Depot supplied other materials, and Withers Tool donated labor-intensive fabrication work. Summit Heating and Air loaned the warehouse space at 462 Roswell St. where volunteers worked.
The Kiwanis Club of Marietta, a 175-member civic organization, runs the project through the Marietta Kiwanis Foundation. Organizers describe the Field of Flags as one of the nation's largest 9/11 commemorations. Multiple community groups pitched in this summer: the Fielding Lewis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Captain John Collins Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution and the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association all participated in assembly sessions.
Nan Bennett, a DAR member, recalled being in Washington, D.C., when the World Trade Center was attacked. She said she was among the first passengers to fly back through the Atlanta airport after security was reorganized in response to the attacks.
Stephanie De Benedictis, a Marietta resident, carried a flag during the very first Field of Flags installation years ago. She returned to volunteer again. "I was one of the people who carried a flag to Kennesaw Mountain so long ago, it's like a memorial to come back," De Benedictis said at the July 19 session.
The display will be open to the public from Saturday, Aug. 29, through Saturday, Sept. 19, at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, 900 Kennesaw Mountain Drive, Kennesaw.
Upcoming Field of Flags events
- Saturday, Aug. 29: Volunteers gather at 9 a.m. at Grace Community Church, 770 Kennesaw Ave. NW, Marietta. The silent flag procession to Kennesaw Mountain begins at 10 a.m. (approximately 1 mile).
- Friday, Sept. 11: Memorial service and reading of the names of all 2,977 victims begins at 7:55 a.m. at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
Donations to support the project can be made through the Marietta Kiwanis Foundation at 911FieldofFlags.com.
