On the morning of Saturday, Sept. 11 members of the College Republicans set up 2,977 small American flags on the lawn north of the University Center to commemorate the lives of the Americans who died 20 years ago in the terrorist attacks Sept., 11 2001. The display is one of many at over 200 colleges and high schools across the country participating in the Never Forget Project, which is sponsored annually by national organization the Young America’s Foundation.

“The majority of students at Whitewater currently are too young to remember the horror that swept across the nation that day, but with tributes such as these, it is our hope that we can do our part to ensure that these individuals may be gone, but what happened to them will never be forgotten,” said UW-Whitewater College Republicans Chair John Beauchamp.

Over the summer, the Whitewater Student Government and UW-Whitewater College Republicans planned the tribute to honor the sacrifice, courage and bravery of the first responders, ordinary Americans, and men and women in the armed forces that came together as one to rebuild and keep the rest of the country safe. The group also hopes that in the face of these past few years and all the challenges faced, the tribute serves as a valuable reminder to the campus community of the powerful bond that unites Americans.

The display took nearly four hours for members of the College Republicans and Whitewater Student Government to set up. This tribute will be in place until 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14. Campus and community members are welcome to help remove the flags.