American flags covered the Civic Center grassed area in Prescott Valley in remembrance of 9/11
during Patriot Week, Sept. 9-17. Several activities were part of the annual Healing Field ceremony
marking the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attack on America. (Photo by Ray Newton)
The Town of Prescott Valley is proud of the recognition it receives within Arizona and nationally for being one of only two communities in the state to sponsor a Healing Field display in recognition of the terrorist attack on the United States Sept. 11, 2001.
The other Healing Field was in Tempe.
This past year, PV Healing Field organizers posted 3,000 American flags on the Civic Center Lawn to honor the lives lost in the attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. They remained in place during Patriot Week, Sept. 9-17, when thousands of visitors paid homage to victims.
During Patriot Week, the community included the annual Patriot Run/Walk on Sept. 10, followed by a 10:30 a.m. Blessing of the Field.
On Sept. 11, a solemn 6 p.m. ceremony included fire and police honor guards. It also included the National Anthem, a speaker, a rifle volley, and Taps by the American Legion Post and Honor Guard. Central Arizona Fire & Medical Authority firefighters lowered a huge American flag from the Civic Center roof.
On Sept. 13, a 6 p.m. patriotic concert was performed by Scott Marshall and the Free Radicals at the Civic Center amphitheater.
The Prescott Valley Healing Field had its origin September 2012, when then PV Town Council member Mary Mallory (now a Yavapai County supervisor) spearheaded what has become an annual recognition.
A statement from the healing field website says: “It began as a simple way for one person to visualize and comprehend the sheer enormity of human loss that occurred in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As hundreds of volunteers gathered to help, it soon became evident that something much more was emerging. It became a personal gesture of support, a tangible expression of mourning, honor, and very healing experience.”
Through the years, the Healing Field in Prescott Valley has brought thousands of central and northern Arizona residents together in a display of patriotic unity.
