In February, Annin & Company Flagmakers in Verona, New Jersey was presented with a historic task: sew together the remains of an American treasure, the National 9/11 Flag. The 20x30-foot flag was badly damaged in the line of duty while hung from scaffolding at Ground Zero after the attacks, serving as a beacon of hope for the countless workers who sifted through the debris in the days and weeks that followed. Annin was a stop along the route of a long journey to communities that have experienced devastation and tragedy, but like the flag, were pieced back together in the end. On each stop on the flag’s nationwide tour, the victims and survivors of natural and man-made disasters each added a stitch. The Flag was repaired by four Annin stitchers; Ahillia Harnandan, Incoronata DiIorio and Franca Tanelli and Lin Hsieh (not pictured). On Sept. 11, 2011, the final stitches will be added to the flag in the small town of Joplin, Mo., which was devastated by a tornado that wiped out nearly half the town, and killed 116 residents on May 22, symbolizing the will and come together spirit of the American people when faced with adversity.