Flag
Photo credit: Jin S. Lee
Accession Number: C.2016.117.1
Dimensions: 36 in X 60 in
Dimensions (Metric): 91.44 cm X 152.4 cm
Dimensions (Metric): 91.44 cm X 152.4 cm
Credit Line: In grateful recognition of Chubb and Shirley B. Dreifus in memory of her husband Spiros Kopelakis
Description
American flag with attached halyard. The flag is slightly dirty and the halyard is separated into four pieces.
American flag with attached halyard. The flag is slightly dirty and the halyard is separated into four pieces.
Historical Notes
On the afternoon of September 11, 2001, FDNY Firefighter Dan McWilliams spotted a flag on a yacht—the Star of America owned by Spiros Kopelakis and Shirley Dreifus—docked at a marina near the World Trade Center site. McWilliams, along with FDNY Firefighters Billy Eisengrein and George Johnson, raised the flag on a 20-foot pile of debris on the site near West Street. The flag raising lifted the spirits of rescue workers.
Several photographers captured the moment, including Thomas Franklin, a staff photographer at a New Jersey newspaper, The Bergen Record. Franklin’s photo, shot with a telephoto lens shortly after 5 p.m., was part of a sequence of images documenting the determined efforts of the responders to hoist the flag and appeared on the front-page issue of The Bergen Record the following day. The photo was also released to the Associated Press wire, which resulted in the picture’s publication in several international papers. In the atmosphere of resurgent patriotism following the 9/11 attacks, Franklin’s photo of the flag became iconic.
On the afternoon of September 11, 2001, FDNY Firefighter Dan McWilliams spotted a flag on a yacht—the Star of America owned by Spiros Kopelakis and Shirley Dreifus—docked at a marina near the World Trade Center site. McWilliams, along with FDNY Firefighters Billy Eisengrein and George Johnson, raised the flag on a 20-foot pile of debris on the site near West Street. The flag raising lifted the spirits of rescue workers.
Several photographers captured the moment, including Thomas Franklin, a staff photographer at a New Jersey newspaper, The Bergen Record. Franklin’s photo, shot with a telephoto lens shortly after 5 p.m., was part of a sequence of images documenting the determined efforts of the responders to hoist the flag and appeared on the front-page issue of The Bergen Record the following day. The photo was also released to the Associated Press wire, which resulted in the picture’s publication in several international papers. In the atmosphere of resurgent patriotism following the 9/11 attacks, Franklin’s photo of the flag became iconic.
Curator's Comment
This flag became a symbol of resilience when three FDNY firefighters raised it at Ground Zero on the afternoon of September 11, 2001. The flag was taken down that evening, and the following day, a different flag was hoisted in its place. The whereabouts of the original flag remained a mystery for nearly 15 years.
In 2014, the History Channel aired an episode about the missing flag on Brad Meltzer’s Lost History. Soon after, the flag was turned in to authorities in Everett, Washington, by a man identifying himself as a U.S. Marine. He claimed to be acting on behalf of the widow of a Ground Zero rescue and recovery worker. He indicated that she had been unaware that the flag in her possession had been the subject of a national search before watching the televised documentary.
At the request of the Everett Police Department, the Washington State Crime Lab analyzed the flag’s fabric, nautical roping, metal hardware, attached electrical tape, and embedded dust particles to confirm its authenticity. Independent researchers from John Jay College in New York City supported the crime lab’s conclusions. Shirley Dreifus, a co-owner of the yacht that originally flew the flag, and a crew member provided additional visual confirmation. The History Channel conducted a parallel investigation, including eyewitness testimony and photographic analysis. Experts conclude that there is certainty up to 99 percent that this is the flag depicted in the photographs from 9/11.
HIDE
This flag became a symbol of resilience when three FDNY firefighters raised it at Ground Zero on the afternoon of September 11, 2001. The flag was taken down that evening, and the following day, a different flag was hoisted in its place. The whereabouts of the original flag remained a mystery for nearly 15 years.
In 2014, the History Channel aired an episode about the missing flag on Brad Meltzer’s Lost History. Soon after, the flag was turned in to authorities in Everett, Washington, by a man identifying himself as a U.S. Marine. He claimed to be acting on behalf of the widow of a Ground Zero rescue and recovery worker. He indicated that she had been unaware that the flag in her possession had been the subject of a national search before watching the televised documentary.
At the request of the Everett Police Department, the Washington State Crime Lab analyzed the flag’s fabric, nautical roping, metal hardware, attached electrical tape, and embedded dust particles to confirm its authenticity. Independent researchers from John Jay College in New York City supported the crime lab’s conclusions. Shirley Dreifus, a co-owner of the yacht that originally flew the flag, and a crew member provided additional visual confirmation. The History Channel conducted a parallel investigation, including eyewitness testimony and photographic analysis. Experts conclude that there is certainty up to 99 percent that this is the flag depicted in the photographs from 9/11.
HIDE
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