A new monument is coming to New York City that will honor military members who served in the armed forces after Sept. 11, 2001.
The memorial is called “Flames of Honor” and will be placed along the waterfront in Whitestone, Queens, to honor those who served in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and who helped target ISIS and Al Qaeda terrorists.
More than 7,000 US troops were killed in the fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, including 99 from the five boroughs. Queens has the largest number of post-9/11 veterans of any NYC borough.
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The "Flames of Honor" monument is intended to serve as a thank you and a welcome home for the soldiers. The monument was chosen out of numerous entries. Mayor Eric Adams is expected to announce details on Tuesday.
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SIGN UP “With this new memorial, we will honor a new generation of souls who gave their lives far too early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while simultaneously paying tribute to the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who have served our country in these wars,” Adams said in May 2024, when the project was first announced. “God bless their memories.”
“It made sense for us erect our monument to our fallen service members there and we love that it’s a place over looking the water, over looking the long island sound, when we speak of quiet reflection a place where we can go and be with our thoughts if need be for those in our community," said Department of Community Affairs Commissioner James Hendon.
The memorial was expected to be part of a refurbished walkway and bike path along the waterfront near the Whitestone Bridge. It was set to be paid for with privately raised funds as well as public capital project dollars.
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The city is still in talks on whether and when to hold a ticker-tape parade up the Canyon of Heroes to show appreciation for the troops' service, as has been done after previous wars.
