Former firefighter creates 9/11 flag memorial

CASTLE HAYNE, N.C. (WECT) - As we near the 25th anniversary of the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks on our country, one New Hanover County neighbor is still honoring some of the lives lost that day.

More than 400 American flags now line the yard of Duane Eastmond’s Castle Hayne home, each carefully placed to represent a specific first responder who died on 9/11.

“343 flags for FDNY, 23 flags for New York City Police Department, 38 for port authority police, 8 paramedics and a lone flag for all those who’ve died since with by injury or illness,” Eastmond said.

Eastmond has set up this memorial display in his yard in years past.

“We just want the community to come by, take a moment,” he said.

For Eastmond, the yard display is far more than a physical tribute, it’s personal. At the time of the attacks, Eastmond was a firefighter who assisted with the evacuation efforts in lower Manhattan from the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

“I just remembered that day as not really knowing what was going on. It wasn’t until we got back about 2 o’clock in the morning, turned the TV on and learned the magnitude of that day,” he said. “It was chaos and very emotional. We could see smoke but were so engrained in the mission to fully know what happened.”

It’s a day he said he will never forget, and he is doing his part to make sure the community doesn’t either.

“We look at educators, even first responders who weren’t even alive when 9/11 happened,” he said. “That’s why we need to emphasize the importance of not forgetting especially those first responders who risked their lives to save so many.”

The memorial display will remain up until Sept. 19, weather permitting. Eastmond invites the public and the local community to stop by, pay their respects, and take a moment of silence.