A field of 500 American flags stands in Kerrville this weekend as part of a community tribute to those lost on Sept. 11 and the service members who answered the call.
Mike and Jan Pieraccini helped create the Kerrville Flags of Honor display at River Star Arts Park at the Hill Country Youth Event Center.
The fourth annual event, sponsored by Gunny’s Warriors, provides the community a place to reflect, remember and honor heroes.
“It takes a long time,” Mike Pieraccini said as flags were placed in the ground. “Just pride. Pride in our country.”
For the Pieraccini’s, the display is deeply personal. It is dedicated to their son, Ryan Pieraccini, a Marine and veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Ryan died six years ago after living with the long-term scars of his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
“It’s dedicated to our son, Ryan Pieraccini,” Mike Pieraccini said. “I’m going to have a hard time.”
The family said carrying Ryan’s legacy forward is part of the reason why they continue the tribute annually.
“So that brought us to want to carry his legacy forward and to create this,” Mike Pieraccini said.
Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the family said the display is meant to remind people that the promise to never forget continues in communities like Kerrville.
Jan Pieraccini said she hopes the flags inspire unity.
“I hope it inspires pride in their community and their country,” she said. “I hope it brings people together.”
The flags will remain on display until sundown Sunday at the Hill Country Youth Event Center in Kerrville. Taps will be played at dusk each day.
