American flags wave outside the 177th Fighter Wing in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. (Hunter Hires/U.S. Air National Guard)

Wreaths Across America invites citizens to wave their American flags Tuesday between 9 and 10 a.m. EST in a national event remembering the citizens who died on 9/11.

With a mission to “Remember, Honor, and Teach”, WAA is committed to never forgetting Americans past and present who have sacrificed for the country. WAA’s national flag-waving event is an effort to encourage communities across the country to honor first responders and military members who responded to the terrorist attacks, and the lives that were lost in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The flag-waving tradition was started by three women in Freeport, Maine, known as the Freeport Flag Ladies, who waved their American flags together each Tuesday morning in Freeport since 9/11. For 18 years, they conveyed messages of support, unity and pride — shared emotions which were felt across the country after the attacks.

In honor of the women who put their tradition to rest in September 2019, WAA and its founder, Morrill Worcester, built a Freeport Flag Ladies monument in Jonesboro, Maine. WAA volunteers continue the Freeport ladies’ 9/11 tradition of remembrance by raising the American flag from the monument each Tuesday morning.

“We continue this tradition, waving our American flags in honor of all those whose lives were lost and to remember the unity and pride felt during that time, which is needed as much now as ever,” said Karen Worcester, WAA executive director.

In addition to the flag-waving event, WAA will broadcast live interviews and stories from veterans, volunteers, Gold Star families and first responders on Wreaths Across America Radio and their official Facebook page for all to tune in.

WAA encourages those participating to share pictures and videos on social media using the hashtag #FlagsAcrosstheCountry and to say where people are waving their flags from.