Kiwanis Club of Black Mountain-Swannanoa hosts Field of Honor®
September 11 ceremony opens downtown flag display
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 11, 2023
The Field of Honor®, a national initiative through the Colonial Flag Foundation, debuted in the Swannanoa Valley, Sept. 11, as the local chapter of the Kiwanis Club hosted an opening ceremony. The exhibit will remain on display through the month of September. Photo by Fred McCormick
A downtown display honoring veterans, active military members and first responders opened, Sept. 11, as the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Kiwanis Club hosted its first Field of Honor®.
The arrangement of 60 American flags, located on the north side of State Street, between the the Black Mountain United Methodist Church and Harwood Home for Funerals, will remain through the month of September.
Field of Honor, which began in 2002 when Colonial Flag Foundation CEO Paul Swenson established the Healing Field® in Sandy City, Utah, honoring the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., allows members of the public to purchase a flag recognizing the service of friends or family. The local chapter of the Kiwanis Club, led by chairperson Lynn Dees and a team of volunteers, introduced the display to the Swannanoa Valley this year.
“Today the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Kiwanis Club hosts this Field of Honor, to include active duty military, fallen service men and women. first responders and all veterans,” Dees told an audience that included Black Mountain Police Chief Steve Parker, Black Mountain Fire Chief John Coffey, Town Councilmember Archie Pertiller, Jr. and Town Manager Josh Harrold. “Each flag on display has an attached tag recognizing the individual being honored or remembered.”
Ted Minnick, left, and Black Mountain Town Councilmember Archie Pertiller, Jr. gather, Sept. 11, as the Field of Honor®, hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Black Mountain-Swannanoa, opened downtown. Photo by Fred McCormick
The ceremony began with a presentation of colors by the Owen High School Warhorse Battalion Color Guard and the national anthem. Black Mountain Presbyterian Church Paster Mary Katherine Robinson offered a prayer, followed by a speech from Black Mountain Mayor Mike Sobol.
“It’s an honor to recognize the folks who served our country, and those who continue to serve,” he said. “Especially those with the Town of Black Mountain Police and Fire Departments, who do a wonderful job.”
The mayor reflected on family members who served in the military.
“My uncle Charles (Lindsey), who was the town manager of Black Mountain for several years, my uncle Woodrow Wilson and my aunt Jess all served,” Sobol said. “Unfortunately, uncle Woody gave his life. He was in Burma, in Southeast Asia, and President (Franklin) Roosevelt had commissioned a special force of about 2,000 men to go into Thailand, travel to North Burma, and secure a Japanese airfield.”
The soldiers trekked more than 400 miles through the jungle, he continued.
Black Mountain Mayor Mike Sobol remembers family members who served in the military, Sept. 11, as the Kiwanis Club of Black Mountain-Swannanoa held an opening ceremony for its Field of Honor® fundraiser. Photo by Fred McCormick
“They crossed four mountain ranges higher than Mount Mitchell, starting in February and making it there in May,” Sobol said. “Unfortunately, a few days later, a rogue Japanese unit attacked them with a mortar rocket. My uncle, Woodrow Wilson Lindsey, had his chest and stomach blown away. He gave his life so we could have freedom here.”
Ted Minnick, a Black Mountain resident who served in the Vietnam War during his nearly four decades in the U.S. Army, delivered the keynote address.
“It’s been said if you say their names, they’ll never be forgotten,” he said. “I try to do that every day, for my battle buddies and the first responders who gave their lives for this nation. God bless everyone here, and may God continue to bless America.”
The money raised through the Field of Honor campaign will benefit the Kiwanis Club of Black Mountain-Swannanoa, a nonprofit organization founded in 1956 to support civic engagement. The volunteer group operates the Kiwanis Thrift Shop and supports various nonprofits while providing annual scholarships for local graduates.