Gettysburg Foundation today announced that A Field of Remembrance has surpassed its original goal of 7,000 sponsored American flags and will expand to 17,760 flags. Strong public participation has driven that growth just months after the Field’s Flag Day launch.
Launched on Flag Day, June 14, A Field of Remembrance invites Americans to sponsor flags in remembrance of the more than 51,000 Americans killed, wounded, captured or missing at the Battle of Gettysburg. The original 7,000-flag goal reflected the approximately 7,000 soldiers killed at Gettysburg. Flags are sponsored for $18.63 each, representing the year of the battle, with tribute naming available at all sponsorship levels.
The new goal of 17,760 flags connects the sacrifice remembered at Gettysburg with the nation’s founding in 1776 and the ideals Abraham Lincoln invoked in the Gettysburg Address. In his opening words at Gettysburg, Lincoln looked back to the Declaration of Independence and a nation ‘conceived in Liberty’ and dedicated to the proposition of equality.
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year, A Field of Remembrance offers an opportunity to connect those founding ideals with the sacrifice remembered on the ground where Lincoln delivered his historic address.
‘Reaching more than 7,000 flags shows how deeply people want to participate in remembering what happened here,’ said Barbara Sardella, interim president of Gettysburg Foundation. ‘We’re grateful to everyone who has already taken part, and we’re inviting even more people to join them. Each flag remains an individual act of remembrance. Together, 17,760 flags would create a powerful expression of how that memory continues to be carried forward.’
Every member of the Gettysburg Foundation Board of Directors has sponsored flags in A Field of Remembrance. The Foundation is grateful for their leadership and participation. Businesses and organizations can also participate by sponsoring groups of flags and inviting employees, customers and others in their communities to take part in this shared act of remembrance during America’s 250th anniversary.
Volunteers will help bring the Field to life. Friends of Gettysburg and other community members can help install the flags near the Eternal Light Peace Memorial on Thursday, Nov. 12, and assist with their removal following the event. Additional information about volunteer opportunities, dates and registration will be available in the coming days at GettysburgFoundation.org/A-Field-of-Remembrance.
The flags will be installed near the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, which more than 1,800 Civil War veterans helped dedicate in 1938 to ‘Peace Eternal in a Nation United.’ A Field of Remembrance will open to the public Nov. 12-23 as part of Gettysburg’s PA250 Adams County commemorative activities.
Proceeds support the Gettysburg Foundation’s preservation and education work in partnership with the National Park Service, helping preserve and interpret Gettysburg’s historic places and stories for future generations. This work includes projects such as reopening the David Wills House, where Lincoln put the finishing touches on the Gettysburg Address, and stewarding the Eternal Light Peace Memorial.
A Field of Remembrance is now inviting individuals, businesses and organizations to help create a Field of up to 17,760 flags at Gettysburg this November.
Flags can be sponsored and information about corporate participation is available at GettysburgFoundation.org/A-Field-of-Remembrance.