Pepperdine's Annual Waves of Flags Display Honors 9/11 Victims and Heroes, Continuing a Tradition of Remembrance

September 04, 2024

Held annually at Pepperdine University's Malibu campus, the impressive Waves of Flags display cascades across the lawn of Alumni Park with the Pacific Ocean as a stunning backdrop. For 16 years visitors from around the world have ventured to the massive flag installation to honor the 2,977 lives lost during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The display, located along the Pacific Coast Highway and Malibu Canyon Road, features a vast array of American flags, each representing an American life lost, as well as international flags symbolizing the home countries of the victims from abroad.

Moved by the enormity of this tragedy, visitors often feel emotional as they walk through the sea of flags, offering silent prayers and condolences for the victims and their families, while also sharing their thoughts by writing messages of hope and healing on note cards provided by the University at the entrance of the flag display. Visitors are then invited to attach the note cards to the flagpoles as a tribute to the life lost.

“I pray that the loved ones of the victims and first responders may find comfort by God’s grace. You will not be forgotten . . . Thank you Pepperdine for doing this.” —Anonymous

Others reflect on their memories of that day and the profound impact of losing friends and family members.

“Dad, there is not a day that goes by without memories of you playing in my head or a time where I don’t feel your presence. May today be a reminder of the love that I have for you and a reminder that everything I do is to make you proud. With love forever, your son.” —Colton Cherry, Seaver College student who lost his father on 9/11

During Pepperdine’s Step Forward Day—an annual event dedicated to service and giving back—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and community members are invited to join in the cherished tradition of setting up the Waves of Flags display. Christin Shatzer Román (’03), director of Community Engagement and Service and the organizer of Step Forward Day, praises the hard work of those who strive each year to honor the memory of 9/11. She believes this act of community service exemplifies Pepperdine’s commitment to living out its faith mission.

"It’s wonderful that Pepperdine alumni recognized the importance of commemorating the tragedies of 9/11 and initiated this effort years ago," says Shatzer Román. "The Waves of Flags display exemplifies Pepperdine’s mission to prepare students for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. It embodies the biblical call to serve others and collaborate for the common good. Moreover, this memorial offers a significant opportunity to engage with the broader community, providing a space for reflection, prayer, and contemplation."

According to senior vice chancellor for alumni affairs Hung Le (’87, MA ’03), the events of 9/11 continue to impact the lives of Americans and beyond and remain an historic moment to be preserved for future generations.

“Our response to this tragic event shapes who we are. There are empty seats at family tables all around the world; holes are still unfilled in the aching hearts of individuals and families,” shares Le. “It is significant that we commemorate, giving us all, whether or not we personally shared in the incredible grief of that day, opportunities to be united in a resolve to be the good in this world, to celebrate the goodness of community and of belonging.”

Le believes the Waves of Flags display is a symbol of hope and a reminder of our nation united during a time we felt our most lost and vulnerable.

“As we remember and honor, we declare that we choose to stand on the side of good; we let God’s light of love shine through the darkness of hate. This commemoration calls us to love one another with mutual affection and outdo one another in showing honor.” He adds, “Let this memorial be a reflection of God’s light in and through us, the light on the hill, calling the world to goodness, to peace, to freedom, to hope.”

From September 7 to September 27, 2024, Pepperdine invites the community to visit the annual Waves of Flags display, where visitors will once again have the opportunity to express their reflections and sympathies for the victims by attaching notecards to the flagpoles. The University will also host the annual 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony at Alumni Park on the Malibu campus on Wednesday, September 11, featuring distinguished honoree, actor, author, and producer Candace Cameron Bure, as well as reflections and reading by members of the Pepperdine community.

Throughout the year, the University community is encouraged to visit the Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. Heroes Garden, a reflection site available year-round that honors the heroes of the attacks, including its namesake, Pepperdine alumnus Thomas E. Burnett, Jr. (MBA ‘95), who was a passenger aboard the fourth hijacked jetliner, United Flight 93. Located at one of the highest points on the Malibu campus, the site memorializes the heroic efforts of Burnett and his fellow passengers who attempted to regain control of the aircraft from the hijackers to prevent them from flying it into their intended target of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, which ultimately saved countless lives.