16th Annual Waves of Flags 2023 Display at Pepperdine University
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For the 16th consecutive year, Pepperdine University will commemorate the lives lost in the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, with the Waves of Flags display at Alumni Park on the Malibu campus.
Waves of Flags commemorates the 2,977 lives lost in the September 11 terror attacks and features a vast display of American flags for each American life lost as well as international flags representing the home countries of those from abroad. Made possible through the support of donors and volunteers, the installation will be on display at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Canyon Road from Saturday, September 2 to September 21, 2023.
In addition to the Waves of Flags installation, Pepperdine is the permanent home of the Thomas E. Burnett, Jr., Heroes Garden, a place to honor all those who live heroic lives, including Pepperdine alumnus Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. (MBA ’95), a passenger on United Flight 93, whose life was cut short in the September 11 attacks. The garden's plaque reads: “Dedicated to freedom's heroes of September 11, 2001, and the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93, among them Pepperdine alumnus Thomas E. Burnett, Jr., who sacrificed their lives to overcome terrorists’ intent on destroying American lives and landmarks in our nation's capital. We shall never forget.” Heroes Garden is currently closed to the public, along with the rest of the Pepperdine campus.
On Monday, September 12th, Pepperdine will host Honoring the Heroes of 9/11, a commemoration ceremony led by University chancellor Sara Jackson (’74) with special remarks by president Jim Gash (JD ’93) and Pepperdine alumni Ryan Sawtelle (’09) and Chris Garcia (’11), who brought the Waves of Flags idea to life in 2008. The ceremony will be held at 11 AM at Alumni Park.
