Field of Flags

The Memorial Garden Committee of the Somers Congregational Church honored military and civilian casualties in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts on October 23 by displaying a field of American flags, one for each of the United States causalities. Below, the committee shares the purpose and how it came about.

The field of flags shows that those who have died and their families and friends are remembered in prayer at the Church. The idea for the field of flags came about as members of the Memorial Garden Committee considered what more could be done to show support for the troops who are in the war zone. Noah Cass, a US Marine recently returned from his second tour of duty in Iraq. During his deployment our awareness of the loss of life there was intensified. Each casualty announced reminded us of the danger, and increased the empathy we felt for the families of those who have died.

A display board with the name and rank of each American casualty has
been placed in front of the Field of Flags.

The 2,231 flags have been placed on the west lawn of the Church. They
were dedicated in a short observance at noon on October 23. The
dedication was followed by a reading of the names of those being
honored. The field of flags will remain in place until Thanksgiving,
and interested people are invited to stop by the Church to visit and
pay their respects.

Donations to help defray the cost of the flags are being accepted;
checks may be made out to the "Memorial Garden Committee", with the
memo noting Field of Flags.