Twenty years after the towers fell, The Freedom Flag Foundation honors the victims and heroes of 9/11 – Chesterfield Observer

Sept. 11, 2001, began like any other day for Clarence Singleton, a retired New York City firefighter. He planned to drop his girlfriend off at work in Brooklyn and then drive around there and Queens for his part-time job doing mortgage inspections for banks.

Before his girlfriend got out of the car, news came over the radio that a plane had flown into the north tower of the World Trade Center. At the moment, Singleton didnt think much of it. He figured a small aircraft had veered off course and crashed into the tower because of its height. Then the news came that another plane had struck, only this time, it was the south tower.

Singleton, who served 22 years with the New York City Fire Department before retiring in 2000, had always felt a drive to help people when he could. Wanting to lend a hand, he rushed back to his apartment, changed into jeans and a T-shirt with the Maltese Cross the symbol of fire service on it, and grabbed a pair of boots before heading out the door.

He took the subway into Manhattan because he knew traffic would be horrendous. On the ride there, two people asked him if he thought the towers would collapse, to which he responded, No, theres no way. That was before he knew there were thousands of gallons of jet fuel spewing throughout the towers.

He recalls showing up alone on Broadway and seeing a mound of rubble, hoping there was still life under it. The south tower had already collapsed, he said, and the scene was solemn and quiet. First responders were assisting civilians, and Singleton quickly began working with another firefighter and a police officer to extinguish vehicle fires. Like him, theyd heard the news and come from home to help.

Singleton was in the middle of putting out a fire when there was a loud bang. Instinct told him the north tower was collapsing, and years of training with the fire department had taught him it would be impossible to escape the collapse zone of a building this tall. But he ran anyway. He made it about 30 feet when he fell, dislocating his shoulder.

I was on my hands and knees waiting to die, Singleton said.

That fall was a blessing, he knows now. It put him in a safe zone where no debris could hit him. A thick cloud of dust engulfed the area as the second tower came down, coating everything.

Every breath was suffocating, Singleton recalled.

In severe pain, he got up and started walking. He flagged down some EMS workers and asked for help.

When he arrived at the hospital, a doctor gave him the option of waiting for treatment or getting his limb reset without anesthesia they were expecting many victims from the crash site. Singleton opted for the latter. Then he returned to ground zero and continued helping civilians.

Nearly 3,000 people died when four planes hijacked by al-Qaida terrorists crashed in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., that day. Some of the casualties were Singletons former coworkers. A Vietnam veteran who also responded to the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, Singleton was no stranger to loss and destruction. Still, he says, it was difficult to come to terms with losing people hed worked alongside.

These days, Singleton lives in Midlothian with his wife, Mary Jean, and is a board member of The Freedom Flag Foundation. Founded in Henrico County in 2002, the organizations mission is to become a national symbol of remembrance for 9/11 and to teach future generations about the tragic events and many lives lost that day.

I feel like Im working for my friends and coworkers by spreading the word of the Freedom Flag and keeping the memory of them alive, Singleton said.

A Freedom Flag features 10 elements that serve as a reminder to never forget what happened on 9/11. These include red stripes to represent the blood shed by victims of the twin towers and Pentagon attacks and the passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania. White stripes represent rescue workers and first responders; a pentagon of white bars represents the organized protection of our freedom; a white star stands for all who lived and died for freedom; and a blue background stands for all Americans united together for freedom.

Richard Melito, owner of Melitos Restaurant in Henrico County, drew the first sketch of the flag on a napkin while sitting in his restaurant nine days after the terrorist attacks. He intended to hang the symbol on the wall of his restaurant to serve as a reminder to customers of the tragedy and triumph surrounding that date. The next year, Melito founded The Freedom Flag Foundation to educate people about the events of 9/11.

In 2003, the flag became a part of Virginia history when then-Gov. Mark Warner issued an executive order designating the flag as the official symbol of remembrance of Sept. 11. In 2018, the General Assembly passed a bill making it the official 9/11 remembrance flag.

John Riley, president of the foundation, first learned about the organization after meeting with Melito to help design a future 9/11 memorial in Henrico. His most significant connection to the attacks is his friend Douglas D. Ketcham, whom he grew up with in Chesterfield. Riley and Ketcham attended Robious Middle School together and graduated from Midlothian High School in 1992. The two were inseparable during high school, Riley said.

After graduating from the University of Virginia, Ketcham went to work for Cantor Fitzgerald as a stockbroker in New York City. The last time Riley saw Ketcham was at Rileys wedding on April 28, 2001.

He really cared about people and cared about others, Riley said. He didnt ever want to be the center of attention, [and] it was always about you when you were with him.

Ketcham worked in the north tower, which was hit first by American Airlines Flight 11. His mother told Riley her son was able to make a single phone call before he died. Ketcham told his mother there had been a terrible explosion and that the building was filling up with smoke. He didnt expect to survive and told her he loved her one last time.

We both hoped and prayed that he might have been one of the miracle survivors, but unfortunately, nobody above the first plane impact survived, Riley said.

As the nation nears the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Riley realized a few years back that K-12 students have no lived memories of the events of that day; most werent born yet when it happened.

In 2019, the Freedom Flag Foundation launched a pilot program in Virginia, Delaware and Texas called The National Freedom Flag and World Trade Center Steel Education Program. School partners receive a free kit containing a Freedom Flag and a piece of World Trade Center steel that was cut from a very large piece of steel the foundation obtained from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Tara Krohn, a teacher at Woolridge Elementary School, was given the opportunity to participate in the pilot program and then later joined the Freedom Flag Foundation in 2020.

Krohn remembers standing in front of her fourth-grade class and describing the events of 9/11. Since then, shes felt the need to find a unique way to keep the historic day at the forefront of her students minds to remind them of the heroism and bravery that came out of the attacks.

Inspired by the foundation, Krohn wrote Unfurling the Freedom Flag: A 9/11 Story, a childrens book detailing how the Freedom Flag came to be. It sends the message that the story is more about hope than tragedy.

Thats why it needs to be told, because of what happened on Sept. 12 [and] how people all came together, Krohn said. Thats why I think the Freedom Flag is important, because I dont want any of those elements to be forgotten.

The book is illustrated by Emily Merry, a Midlothian High School graduate and Krohns next-door neighbor. Merry, the daughter of two Air Force veterans, was a senior in high school when she illustrated the book. She also has a brother currently serving as a Marine. Merrys mother was pregnant with her when 9/11 happened, Krohn said.

Singleton, who was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds he received as a Marine in Vietnam, said the recent withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, and the Talibans swift takeover of the government, has left him feeling the same way he felt after the Vietnam War.

To me, Vietnam seemed like a waste. You lose so many friends, [and] you go through so many hardships. I mean, that was a hard life and really difficult, Singleton said. Then you find out, at least in Vietnam, it was all political.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, The Freedom Flag Foundation will be participating in events in and around Chesterfield this weekend. For more information about the organization, visit the website at freedomflagfoundation.org

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Twenty years after the towers fell, The Freedom Flag Foundation honors the victims and heroes of 9/11 - Chesterfield Observer