Queens Borough President Donovan Richards joined Mayor Eric Adams at City Hall on Tuesday to unveil the initial designs for the new $5 million memorial on the Whitestone waterfront that will honor the 99 fallen post-9/11 service members from New York City who made the ultimate sacrifice during their service in Afghanistan and Iraq. The “Flames of Honor” memorial will be designed by artist Douwe Blumberg and built in Queens.
“Our fallen soldiers gave their last measure of devotion defending the American Dream, and we could not call ourselves the greatest city on the globe if we did not give them the tribute they deserve,” Adams said. “With this memorial, we will honor a new generation of souls who gave their lives far too early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and say ‘thank you’ to our service members and veterans every day of the year with a beautiful space for remembrance and reflection.”
The memorial will be located in Queens, which was home to the largest number of post-9/11 service members in the city who were killed in action, and also has the highest population of living veterans in the five boroughs.
“The noble and heroic contributions of those who have served in the military after the devastating 9/11 attacks have helped keep our nation safe and secure,” Richards said. “But that safety has come at a painful cost, as far too many of our post-9/11 service members have been killed in action.”