Written by Sarah Kyle
Sept. 11, 2011, will mark the 10th anniversary of the day America stood still. To more than 50 countries, Sept. 11 will mark the 10th anniversary of the day they lost their countrymen and women on American soil.
Pi Sigma Alpha began a fundraiser yesterday to help commemorate the victims of every country affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
“It wasn’t just an attack against the United States but an attack against the world,” political science professor Mark Elrod said. “I think we need to be careful about approaching events like this as an exercise in patriotism. Obviously America took the brunt of the attack, but … Ithink by calling attention to the fact that this is a war against the civilized world, then anything we can do as Americans [to restore unity] is good and proper.”
The political science honor society plans to add 381 flags to this fall’s 9/11 flag memorial on the front lawn, an event organized by the American Studies Institute.
“Last year, the ASI put out a memorial of 3,000 flags, and one of the things that I, and some of my students, took note of was that they were all American flags,” Elrod said. “I suggested to Pi Sigma Alpha … that we complete that memorial next year for the 10th anniversary by acquiring the flags of those countries to honor all the victims of 9/11 as accurately as we can.”
Pi Sigma Alpha President Andrew English said the memorial is not intended to lessen America’s loss but rather to respect and honor the losses of other countries as well.
“Displaying non-American flags on the front lawn shows respect for the lives lost on 9/11, regardless of nationality, which is how I think Jesus would prefer us to represent him,” English said. “Nationality doesn’t matter to God. We don’t mean to detract from the Americans lost; we simply want to include the non-Americans with their respective flags displayed.”
With the blessing of Bob Reely, associate executive director of ASI, Elrod and his students began planning this weekend’s fundraiser and next fall’s international
flag memorial. To raise money for the381 additional flags, Pi Sigma Alpha will return to the student center today with eight flags — France, Australia, Chile, Italy, Zambia, Great Britain, People’s Republic of China and Greece — for students to “vote” for by donating spare change and bills to a jar by each flag.
Elrod said that the students who donated to each flag will be eligible to win that flag in a raffle should their flag win.
Each flag costs $3.94 to purchase, but Elrod said Arkansas Flag and Banner has volunteered to help the cause by giving the group a discount on 200 or more flags.
Pi Sigma Alpha has also contacted the embassies of each country for flag dona- tions. As of Wednesday, Elrod said, Brazil, Canada, Haiti, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland have provided the total number of flags for their country.
International Programs also donated the 10 Italian flags needed for the memorial.
Elrod said those unable to participate in today’s fundraiser can contact him about making a personal monetary or flag donation. He may be contacted atelrod@harding.edu.
