‘Fallen will be recognized.’ Ground broken at Patriot Park near Flight 93 National Memorial

Two American Gold Star Mothers – Kathy Hause-Walker and Frances Thompson – planted miniature United States flags in remembrance of their sons during a groundbreaking ceremony for Patriot Park on Friday near the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Soon more than 7,000 flags will be in place at the Somerset County site as a tribute to all military members who have died during the global war on terror that started following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

“To see the support here is just incredible,” Hause-Walker said. “The one thing when you lose a loved one, you don’t want them to be forgotten. And this is an opportunity for all the people that have died since Sept. 11 that have been fighting the war on terrorism, for them to be remembered. And that means a lot to a loved one to have their loved ones remembered.”

Thompson said it is “just wonderful that all the fallen will be recognized.”

“I’m really happy to be here to join them at this dedication,” Thompson said.

Brian Hause, a Stoystown resident who served in the Air Force, died from non-combat-related medical causes at Balad Air Base in Iraq. Army PFC Nils George Thompson, from Confluence, was shot by a sniper in Mosul, Iraq.

Planting the flags is part of phase one that will involve constructing a road and parking lot that should be in place by the time of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks when a hijacked plane headed for Washington, D.C., crashed in Somerset County. Long-term plans for the park, located within the Flight 93 National Memorial complex, include gold stars on the ground with the names of all 7,000-plus fallen.

“We see what we’re going to do here this year as a first step in that process,” Randy Musser, president of the Patriot Park foundation, said. “And this is the first baby step in that process. I tell my Little League team, ‘If you don’t swing the bat, you’re not going to hit the ball.’ So this is the first swing of our bat.”

Developers of Patriot Park see it as another tribute to Pennsylvania’s rich military history.

“As Valley Forge and Philadelphia define our understanding of the American Revolution, and Gettysburg defines our understanding of the Civil War,” G. Henry Cook, a foundation board member, said, “this park moves us closer to becoming the place that will define America’s understanding of the war on terror.”