Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt today visited the National September 11 Memorial, where she handed over a Danish flag found in the ruins of the World Trade Center, to the National September 11 Memorial Museum.

The Prime Minister also laid flowers by the Survivor Tree and participated in a moment of silence to commemorate the victims of 9/11.

“September 11 remains one of the darkest days in modern history and we must never forget,” Prime Minister Thorning-Schmidt said.  “On behalf of Denmark, it is important for me to be here today to pay my respect to the victims their families, and to the survivors of the 9/11 attacks.  And it is my great honor, on behalf of the people of Denmark, to hand over the flag to the National September 11 Museum where it will serve as a token of Denmark’s continued support and commitment as a close friend and ally of the US.”

The National Danish flag “Dannebrog” was retrieved from the ruins of the World Trade Center after September 11, 2001, by the New York Police Department.  It was brought to the Consulate General of Denmark in 2006, where it has since been displayed in the condition it was found.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

In the aftermath of 9/11, the U.S. flag – symbolic of strength and rebuilding – gave hope to Ground Zero recovery workers and people across this country.

As part of the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s mission to “recognize the endurance of those who survived, the courage of those who risked their lives to save others, and the compassion of all who supported us in our darkest hours,” museum curators have been collecting tribute items that draw on the symbolism of the flag.

See a sample of tributes to 9/11 that incorporate the American flag in an exclusive online gallery.  Additional images and details are also available on Pinterest.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff 

On September 11, 2001, Port Authority Police Department Lt. David Lim was in the basement below the World Trade Center's South Tower with his K-9 partner Sirius when he felt the building violently tremble. Feeling duty-bound to assist potentially injured civilians, Lim took time to secure Sirius in his kennel and then went to investigate the disruption, telling his partner, "I'll be back for you."

After miraculously surviving the collapse of the North Tower, Lim's first instinct was to find Sirius, but he was rushed into an ambulance and brought to St. Vincent's Hospital for treatment of injuries he had sustained from the collapse. Unfortunately, Sirius was not as lucky as Lim. His remains, recovered in the winter of 2002 in the wreckage of the South Tower, were ceremoniously removed from Ground Zero with a full honor guard, in a manner befitting a hard-working member of the PAPD.

Recently, Lim donated items in memory of Sirius to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, including a training leash and one of Sirius' badges. Additionally, he gifted the soiled boots and gun belt that he had worn on September 11, 2001 as vestiges of his remarkable survivor story. To view more items in the museum's collection click here.

Items donated to the museum by Lim, including a training leash and one of Sirius' badges.

Soiled boots worn by Lim on 9/11, recently gifted to the museum by Lim.

In the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, American citizens were extremely passionate about displaying flags and related patriotic merchandise in public. Newspapers like the New York Times even provided colorful printed American flag inserts that could be used for window display. Flags quickly grew more abundant throughout homes and business across the nation.

An artist and Long Island restaurateur, Ziggy Attias, recognized the cultural phenomenon of collecting American flags, and he began noticing that many, over time, had accidentally been blown off cars and scattered along the sides of roads and highways.  One of these roads was Sunrise Highway in eastern Long Island.  Attias had spotted a torn and weathered flag that was lying on the shoulder, and he decided to go get it.

“When I spotted the first flag, I knew that I had to pull over and retrieve it,” Attias said in a personal statement to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.  “As soon as I picked the flag up, it seemed to have huge significance and marked by history.  This was not just any flag; it was within a much larger context.”

Soon, Attias found it his personal mission to collect such flags, which had been left behind.

“It was a sad cold winter after 9/11 and seeing our flag like that would have only made it worse,” he said.  “Gradually, I began to see more flags on the side of the road, and I found myself seeking a glimpse of the red, white and blue markings as I drove to work.”

Attias collected these flags throughout the winter of 2002.

“I found flags in many sizes, and at times, just fragments,” he said.  “Some were stuck in bushes or trees, some mixed in with trash, some wet and muddy, others frozen in ice.  As one flag gradually became a collection of many, the significance of them and all they represented grew.”

Attias recently donated his collection of approximately 150 American flags, of varying sizes and conditions, to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which is scheduled to open in 2012

“As a country, we were beat up as was our flag, yet, we are still here, and 'our flag was still there,'” he said.

Update:  Here is a link to 27east's coverage of Attias' story.

By Meghan Walsh, Communications Associate for the 9/11 Memorial

Above: Michael Ragsdale discusses pieces of his collection with 9/11 Memorial Museum exhibition researcher Liz Mazucci. (Photo by Michael Frazier)

After watching the Sept. 11 attacks unfold, Michael Ragsdale started a personal campaign to collect fliers, cards and brochures that marked the day’s events and the subsequent months.

“I decided to collect stuff that I felt would be ignored,” he said.

Seeing the North Tower on fire, Ragsdale said he knew something unprecedented was happening and sensed the towers may not exist much longer.  He quickly went down to the site, feeling compelled to grab any memorabilia.  He took a couple hundred World Trade Center brochures shortly before the towers fell.

Ragsdale, who has been an autograph collector since 1997, began collecting this 9/11 ephemera over the 14 months following the attacks.

“I had the opportunity to do it, so I did it,” he said.

Ragsdale collected pieces such as event fliers that organizations handed out on the streets.  One flier read: “Protest Fire Bombings Against Arab Stores."  He also collected warning signs posted around ground zero and the World Trade Center site, including one that said, “Crime Scene Search Area: Stop."

He said the most shocking piece he collected was a sign he got from around ground zero that read “Warning: Poison.”

Ragsdale's ephemera collection was acquired by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum for display in future exhibitions. The collection has more than 4,100 pieces.  These collected items are to become part of the showcases highlighting the aftermath of the attacks.

Image A: A flier posted by the New York City Police Department near ground zero, indicating "Crime Scene Search Area STOP".  Image B: A flier that was handed out asking for volunteers to show support for ground zero rescue workers.

By Meghan Walsh, Communications Associate with the 9/11 Memorial