VIDEO: For the past 18 years, John Vinson and his family have gathered friends and volunteers to turn an empty field in West Sacramento into a memorial to honor the victims of the 9/11 terror attacks.
One flag is placed at the memorial for every person who died in the attacks. This year, the flags of 60 countries were added to represent the nationalities of those killed.
The display is meant to symbolize the overwhelming sense of unity and resolve from Americans in the wake of the attack. It's something organizers hope visitors recapture when they visit the tribute.
It all started the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001. Vinson got off work and was still trying to understand the events that had happened that morning.
“I went home, got a flag and flagpole and went out to the I-5 overpass near the Crocker Art Museum,” he said. “I just started waving it at 5 o’clock traffic.”