50 Star U.S. Flag, Engine 54, NYFD - 9/11.
From way back in 1865 until the year 2001, the New York City fire department saw a total of 775 of its members die while in the line of duty. On September 11, 2001, the same department lost a shocking 343 members in the line of duty who became victims of the devastating terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Twin Towers. This particular flag belonged to The Pride of Mid-Town; Battalion 9, Engine 54 and Ladder 4. That tragic day, this firehouse sadly lost 15 men. Ladder 4 had been originally been organized on September 18, 1865, while Engine 54 dates from May 26, 1884.
Since 9/11, the flag has been displayed on Engine 54 in solidarity with the mourning nation. It was then retired in March 2003. In the months that followed the terrorist attacks, rigs from this station continued to recover the remains of their fallen brothers from the site. This flag has an important history due to its connection with the Manhattan battalion after the destructive terrorist attack. Before that tragedy, lots of the rigs operated by the FDNY routinely flew the flag of the United States but since the attacks; this practice has become more widespread.
Publication History:
Madaus, Howard M., Dr, Whitney Smith, The American Flag: Two Centuries of Concord and Conflict. Santa Cruz: VZ Publications, 2006, p. 139.
Provenance: Acquired by the Zaricor Flag Collection in 2006 as a gift from Chief Williams and Lieutenant Robert Jackson, Battalion 9, Fire Department New York.
ZFC Important Flag
(Formerly in the World Trade Center Sub-collection.)
