9/11 Tribute: Largest Flag In The World To Be Flown At GWB

Almost 14 years after the 9/11 attacks, the “Never Forget” attitude of the New York and New Jersey area is still as large as it was in 2001.

Perhaps it’s fitting that the Port Authority– the first agency to respond to the scene of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center – will be commemorating the 14th anniversary of the tragedy by displaying the “World’s Largest Free-Flying Flag” from the George Washington Bridge from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.

In addition to the flag display, the Port Authority will be hosting an Interfaith Remembrance Service at St. Peter’s Church, located at the corner of Barclay and Church streets in Lower Manhattan at 2 p.m. on Friday.

The service will honor the 84 Port Authority employees who were killed in the Sept. 11 attack, as well as those who lost their lives in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Port Authority stated.

“Flying Old Glory from the ‘George’ is a venerable Port Authority tradition dating back to 1947,” the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey states on its blog.

The 450-pound, 60 by 90 foot flag is normally stored in a skyscraping, tubular home inside the New Jersey Tower when not in use.

WHO’S THE ‘LARGEST?’

Another display piece also described as the “largest free-flying flag” has been making appearances in the NYC area.

In July, a 530-pound, 53 by 78 by 29-foot inflatable flag went airborne at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken as part of a July 4th celebration.

• See related article: World’s Biggest American Flag Flies In Hoboken

The flag also made an appearance at the QuickChek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning in Readington on July 24.

Photo courtesy of the Port Authority