Patriot Park, at the northern boundary of the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, will host a veterans memorial exhibit featuring an American flag created from more than 7,000 military dog tags and 50 gold stars.
The Veterans and Athletes United Fallen Heroes Global War on Terror Memorial Flag was created in 2018, and has traveled to more than 180 locations nationwide.
It is 28 feet wide and 6 feet tall, and the dog tags that make up the flag are arranged in alphabetical order for fallen veterans serving between Sept. 11, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2017. Thereafter, the tags are arranged in order of their killed in action dates.
“This is maybe the third time we’ve had it here,” said Patriot Park Foundation President Randy Musser. “Everybody really appreciates it and we like bringing it back. This year there’s a new element, an outdoor kiosk you can use to look up any of the names on the memorial. It will bring up a photo and a short biography of the veteran.”
Veterans and Athletes United is an all-volunteer nonprofit offering programs to support veterans with disabilities. The flag memorial was in Westmoreland County in the summer of 2023, at Z&M Harley-Davidson in Hempfield.
The memorial will be on display July 2-10 at Patriot Park, 3150 Lincoln Highway in Shade Township.
The park is open from 9 a.m. to dusk. For more, see PatriotParkFoundation.org.
