National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park

The dedication of a 40-foot-high bronze monument called, "To Lift A Nation," took place Monday, November 5, 2007 at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Park located on the campus of the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, Md., to honor the heroes of the September 11, 2001 tragedy. Washington dignitaries, firefighters from across the country, September 11th survivor families who lost loved ones in the tragedy, and the public observed the unveiling of the monument designed by Utah-based sculptor Stan Watts. Firefighter Billy Eisengrein, one of the three firefighters pictured in the photograph, also attended.

Watts' three-times life-size, bronze monument recreates the now-famous photo taken by Thomas E. Franklin, a photographer for the Bergen Record, who captured the image of three firefighters raising the American flag at Ground Zero. The monument stands 40 feet high, six feet deep and eight feet wide. Each of the three firefighter's statues weigh more than 5,000 pounds and were formed from approximately 160 bronze sections weighing between 60-to-80 pounds each.

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