2,977 Flags Outside Mars Area Senior High School Honor Lives Lost on 9/11

ADAMS TWP — One by one, students pressed 2,977 American flags into the ground in front of Mars Area Senior High School along Route 228—one for every person killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

As about 30 cadets from the Pine-Richland–Mars Air Force Junior ROTC worked through the humid afternoon, passing truck drivers sounded their horns in recognition. The students continued arranging the flags in carefully marked rows, creating a visible tribute to the lives lost 25 years ago.

For Master Sgt. Shawn Leydig, one of the unit’s two instructors, the remembrance is deeply personal. He was not yet serving in the military when terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, but the events of that day helped shape the direction of his life.

“I was not in the military yet, but it was a catalyst for me to join the military,” Leydig said. “I enlisted in December of 2001, and I just retired with 24 years.”

Leydig said the display commemorates those who died while helping students understand an event that became a defining moment for earlier generations.

“I think ultimately it changed a lot of things for our country,” he said. “Obviously, we want to commemorate the people who lost their lives. It was a pivotal moment in our history, and hopefully we’re better for the things that came from that—when we came together after such a tragic event.”

The cadets installing the flags were not alive when the attacks occurred. Leydig said that distance can make the magnitude of 9/11 difficult for them to fully comprehend.

“I think they understand that it’s heavy, but it’s hard to grasp something they weren’t alive for,” he said.

Leydig compared 9/11 with other moments permanently etched into the memories of those who experienced them, including the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon.

“It’s one of those events that’s significant in history for us for that reason,” he said.

The joint Junior ROTC unit serves students from Pine-Richland and Mars. Mars students travel to Pine-Richland for the first class period each morning. Leydig and Capt. Josh Rager, the unit’s other instructor, are beginning their third year teaching in the program.

The unit has 75 cadets this school year, with approximately 30 participating in the flag installation at Mars.

Leydig said the Air Force Junior ROTC program emphasizes leadership, service and citizenship. Although students learn Air Force values, participation does not obligate them to enter the military.

“Our main goal is to develop better citizens for the future,” he said. “Community service is a big aspect of that. We try to do as many events as we can.”

As the cadets worked beside Route 228, each blast of a passing truck’s horn offered a reminder that the tribute was being noticed—and that the lives represented by the 2,977 flags have not been forgotten.