Kissimmee family honors 9/11 victims with 2,977 American flags on 25th anniversary

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - As we remember those lost on September 11, 2001, there are memorials set up across the country and in Central Florida, marking 25 years since the national tragedy.

In the Mill Run neighborhood of Kissimmee on Brookside Avenue is a homemade tribute featuring 2,977 American flags.

Each flag representing each life lost on September 11, 2001.

What they're saying:

Kathy Reidy and her family constructed it on her front lawn.

"It was a family effort," Reidy said. "Everybody put their time, skills and ideas into it and their labor, but mostly their heart."

Each American flag is anchored into a hand-drilled hole and glued into place.

One of those flags is for her cousin, Michael Horn.

"My cousin Michael was a wonderful, kind soul," she said. "He was the kind of person everyone wanted to be around. He can make people smile and bring people together. He had a giant personality and a zest for life. He worked for Cantor Fitzgerald in the north tower. We wanted to honor not only the first responders and Michael, but all those that were lost that day and all of the families that lost someone that day."

Her cousin was only 27 years old at the time.

"He was our family," Reidy said. "He was loved, and I want his story to live on."

Now 25 years later, Reidy said she is keeping her promise to never forget and to make sure younger generations know about one of America’s darkest days.

"I want them to realize that behind every name, every number is a real person, a real family and a real loss for everybody," Reidy said. "I want them to understand that a promise was made 25 years ago."