Last Saturday in the hot midday sun, veterans, friends, and families paid tribute to those who have died in action since 9/11 at a flag planting event.

Organized by Massachusetts Fallen Heroes, roughly 20 attendees volunteered to plant about 4,800 flags outside the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Seaport to honor the lives lost in combat since 2001. The flags will be up for a week, from Sept. 6 to Sept. 13, to remind the public of the Americans honored who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“For us, 9/11 will never be forgotten about or a distant memory,” said Dan Magoon, the executive director and co-founder of Mass Fallen Heroes. “Unfortunately in the public, it is [forgotten].”

Magoon says that it is important to memorialize those who have lost their lives after the events of 9/11, when thousands went into the service to fight in the War on Terror. For those like Magoon, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the events of 9/11 are “part of our DNA.”

“September 11th is where it all began for all of us. If you’re a veteran who served in either Iraq or Afghanistan or anywhere else, 9/11 obviously started that,” he said.

Mass Fallen Heroes is an organization created by veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group’s mission is to memorialize the service members who do not return home, to support their families, empower veterans, and educate communities. They host flag installations at their memorial location in Seaport, which was installed in 2016, every Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and for the week of 9/11. The memorial location houses a 50-foot obelisk, called the Beacon of Honor, which is designed to reflect light, and plaques with the names of those who have fallen in duty, including co-founder Eric Imon, who was killed in action in 2018.

Past public engagement, Magoon said many of the memorials are for the Gold Star family members, people who have lost their loved ones in action. It is these families, he says, that “paid the price” and deserve for their family members to be honored.

“We owe these veterans and these Gold Star families for all the freedoms that we do have today,” said Magoon.

Jason Farrar, the director of veteran programs and government affairs, who is also a marine veteran and Gold Star brother, says that it is important for his own family to see the memorial, and for the members of the public to recognize the weight of the sacrifice. 

“For a lot of people, especially my daughter, who never met my brother, his story is still alive,” Farrar said. “It’s this memorial and the stories that people tell of the names that we have on this glass here that keep their memories alive.”

“Freedom isn’t free; most Americans can’t fathom that,” said Paul, who declined to give his last name for privacy reasons. Paul and his wife, Mary, who reside in Dorchester, assisted in setting up the flags. 

Paul and Mary, whose son is currently in the Army, said they appreciate the community Mass Fallen Heroes has given them. With most of their friends’ kids going to college, they said it is helpful to be surrounded by people who understand their experience as parents of an active service member.

“Unless you are [from a] military family, you don’t quite understand,” Mary said. “It’s nice to be a part of something, to give back.”

Support for the military from the public has decreased in recent years, largely due to a declining trust in the institution. From 2018 to 2023, public trust in the U.S. military declined from 70% to 45%, according to the Reagan Foundation. The military is also struggling with enlistments and currently faces crisis levels of low recruitment, according to PBS.

Politics around the military have also become increasingly divisive. Opinions over military spending, for instance, have become more turbulent, with Democrats advocating for less spending and Republicans pushing for more.

Farrar said that he believes regardless of political beliefs, respect should be given to those who have enlisted.

“Whether you agree with politics or what’s going on in this country, those that have made that sacrifice for our country to be there, be on the front line, need our respect and support,” said Farrar.

Public support and presence at war memorials has also gone down recently, such as with declining attendance in Memorial Day events, leading to cancellations in rural areas.

Farrar says that in a country like the United States, it is easy to look past the work being done to protect this country, and that freedom is taken for granted.

“A lot of people don’t realize,” said Farrar. “They take for granted right now that there’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines around the world right now deployed, and a lot of people don’t realize the evil that they face.”

Since the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and throughout the War on Terror, the term “evil” has often been used synonymously with threats of terrorism. It is still believed that violent extremism is not a distant problem and is a continued threat to the United States. The National Counterterrorism Center has warned that the United States is facing an “elevated threat environment”, as global extremist activity continues.

“A lot of people have forgotten that September 11th was that pivotal day that forever changed history,” said Farrar. “It cost a lot of American blood on our soil and on foreign soil just to protect this nation.”

Magoon echoed this sentiment, saying that those who joined the military took an oath to protect the United States and that act should be recognized.

“They raised their right hand and they did it because they knew our country [was] under attack,” said Magoon. “We always have to pay tribute.”