The Gettysburg Foundation opened A Field of Remembrance on Thursday, Nov. 12, with 10,000 American flags planted near the Eternal Light Peace Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park. The free display off Mummasburg Road is open to visitors through Monday, Nov. 23.

The installation commemorates the more than 51,000 soldiers killed, wounded, captured or reported missing in the Battle of Gettysburg. Individuals, families, businesses and organizations across the country sponsored the flags, some in honor of specific people.

U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick was scheduled to speak at the opening ceremony, along with park Superintendent Stephanie Stephens, Gettysburg Foundation Board Vice Chair Gene Barr and Barbara Sardella, the foundation’s interim president and CEO.

“Each flag represents a choice to remember,” Sardella said in the foundation’s announcement. She said she hopes visitors will reflect on the people affected by the battle and on those who have served the country.

The foundation launched the campaign on Flag Day, June 14, and surpassed its initial goal of 7,000 flags. The sponsorships support preservation and education projects the foundation carries out in partnership with the National Park Service.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Eternal Light Peace Memorial in 1938 on the 75th anniversary of the battle. The monument commemorates reconciliation and national unity.