Flag Decorum:  A One-Sided Issue!
by Sheree Zielke

The Raising of the First Freedom Tower Beam in New York City!

December 19, 2006 

 I shivered as a chill wind cut through the tunnel where I stood.  From my vantage point, I could see a massive hole filled with construction workers and their heavy equipment.  And some big white pillars lying on their sides.  I pulled my hood closer to my face and steadied my camera for the big event.  A few other people peered through the thick wire mesh, some whispering, and some just staring ahead.  But no one, not one of us knew then the chill winds that would blow through New York City the next day.  And all as the result of an innocent error and an American flag. 

The event?  The erecting of the first 25-ton steel beam of the Freedom Tower on the site of New York City’s World Trade Center better known now as Ground Zero.

My husband and I traveled to NYC for the Christmas; we liked the idea of taking photographs during the festive season in a city that epitomizes the holidays with its glitter and lights. 

Unfortunately, my husband took quite ill so I went off on my own.  I like to visit Ground Zero from time to time to see what progress has been made since the horrors of 9-11.  Today seemed the perfect day, cool and overcast, with a little sunlight breaking the cloud cover now and then.

As I approached the area I noticed media rigs parked on the front street.  Not many, but more than normal, I suspected.  I asked a few questions and found out that the first beam of the south side of the Freedom Tower was going to be raised that very morning. Sounded like a good place for a Kodak moment.

I looked around at barrier after barrier.  How was I ever going to get a shot?  A security officer just inside the gate suggested I try the Vessey Street overpass.  I followed his directions and walked up the stairs.  I scouted out a spot where the protective wire mesh had been pulled back, probably by another photographer.  I felt this was an historic enough moment for me to plant myself and my camera and get a few shots.  And so I did.

I watched as construction workers milled about Ground Zero, scurrying back and forth like ants; some lounged against the great white beams; others fiddled with equipment strewn about the site.  A giant red crane sat to the right side of my vision, tall and quiet.

Soon, a mass of hard-hatted men in black overcoats arrived; they moved towards the great white beams like a slow moving surge of oil.  Among them were NYC Mayor Bloomberg and (then) governor, George E. Pataki, whose last day in office was December 31, 2006. He had been hoping to see the World Trade Site returned to its original glory while he held office but such was not to be the case; the event was staged in his honor.  The pair boarded the beams and began investigating what I later discovered to be hundreds of signatures and remembrances left behind by steelworkers.

Soon a sense of excitement stirred the workers and their milling quickened.  I breathed a sigh of relief since I had been there for over 1 ½ hours.  And I was cold.

The raising of the 31-foot twenty-five ton first Freedom Tower beam had begun.  The red crane inched its massive cargo slowly towards the sky and as it did the image of an American flag became visible.  If only the crane handler could have known the flap he was creating as he brought the beam upright.

The beam finally stood upright, standing proud and strong as is glistened in patches of dappled sunlight.  The workers applauded and the dignitaries nodded their heads with satisfaction and then filed off the site.  And that should have been the end of it.  But instead it was just a beginning.   

It took only a day following the media’s initial reports that the beam had finally been erected, for the bad news to follow.  Reports were coming in that the flag decal had been displayed incorrectly; the field of blue stars had been placed on the right-hand side of the hanging flag instead of on the left.

It all seems so silly to get into a tizzy over such a small error except that the United States of America has laws regulating these things: federal flag laws.  And it would seem a lot of people are aware of the finer points of these laws, especially New Yorkers.

According to the statute, the American flag may only be displayed with the blue field of stars displayed to a viewer’s left side.  The funny thing is that when the decal was applied, the beam was lying on its side and the blue field was to the viewer’s left.  However, as the beam was shifted from its horizontal position and raised into its permanent vertical position, the blue field changed to the right-hand side.  It was an innocent mistake, yes, but one that would not go unnoticed.  Or uncorrected.

NYC officials moved quickly and by Saturday morning the offending flag decal had been removed and a corrected decal applied.  The column, one of 27 needed to define the Freedom Tower’s perimeter, will sit 40-feet below street level.  The massive building complex is expected to be completed by 2011. 

Perhaps in another place, at another time a decal applied to a beam anchored under street level and that would soon disappear under so much building material, just wouldn’t matter.  But in a city and a state still reeling from the memories of the tragedy of the Twin Towers, a little national disrespect matters a very great deal.