Utahns stress importance of unity at Utah Healing Field

At Sandy City Promenade Park, 3,000 American flags flutter in the gentle breeze. It is to honor and remember the lives lost on Sept 11, 2001. In addition, more than 350 flags are placed in the Utah Fallen Field representing the lives lost in the line of duty of Utah officers, first responders and K-9 officers.

The Utah Healing Field is a Sandy tradition that began in 2002 and was the first healing field in the nation. Each flag is accompanied by a tag that gives the name of a 9/11 victim and a brief biography.

The mood is often poignant, as members of the community walk through the rows of flags, occasionally stopping to read about the victims. Most of the visitors have children with them, too young to have been alive during the tragic events of that day.

Jordan Wintch was only 3 years old at the time of the events. On Thursday, he walked the field with his father and an infant in his arms. “It is my father I am with today, and this is my son. I just want to pass the tradition on to always be grateful for our freedom that we have in this country and to remember the people that died for us,” he said.

His father, Brent Wintch, remembers the day vividly and has come to the park to pay tribute for over 20 years.

“I’ve been here every year since they’ve been setting it up, bringing my children and helping them to remember,” he said, adding that his favorite things to do each year is to find the four individuals who led the counter-attack on Flight 93 that led to the flight’s outcome on that day.

For both Brent and Jordan Wintch, the most memorable aspect of 9/11 was the day that followed.

“It is unfortunate that these tragic events happened, but one thing I do remember is the unity the nation felt on 9/12, and unfortunately, that is not what’s going on today,” Brent Wintch said.

Heather Jones stood in front of a display with information about 9/11, including timelines, photos and other materials, with her 15-year-old son, Benjamin, and Shendi Rawi, a 16-year-old exchange student from Munich, Germany, who is staying with the family. “I wanted to show him that it is a significant day in our country’s history,” she said. “To me, it is a way to mark this day as a day that should be remembered and honored by people who lost their lives that day.”

Both teenagers are too young to have been alive in 2001. For Rawi, they honor the day in Germany each year, but experiencing the Healing Field firsthand, she said, “It is a bigger deal here and very emotional.”

Lani Medina knows all too well the importance of educating children about 9/11. Medina, who was at the park with her church youth group, stressed the importance of remembering that day.

“We were sharing stories,” Medina said. “One of the leaders here works for Sandy City, and he shared the history of how this came about and information about how each flag represents an individual with all their details.”

She said the children in her youth group have reported that the various schools they attend don’t really discuss 9/11 and the events that took place.

“We are really grateful for the opportunity to share this with younger children and just make sure that everybody knows and invites them to ask questions and talk about it, not avoid it,” Medina said

The Utah Healing Field will be open through Monday, Sept 15. For more information, you can visit its website.