Kent Sweigert captured the image in 2011 and presented it recently to the family of the Warren County man who fashioned it.
It became a landmark in Warren County in the years after 9/11.
Pieces of plywood fastened to two silos and painted in the colors of the American flag paid tribute along rural Route 519 in Harmony Township to the nation and the thousands who perished that day.
Kent Sweigert took this photograph in 2011. It shows a tribute to 9/11 and America along Route 519 in Harmony Township, across from the township municipal building. (Photo courtesy of Kent Sweigert) Sandi Zikas, whose family owns the farm property, said in all the years she never had a keepsake photo of the tribute, which over time became weathered and worn and eventually fell apart.
That is, until now.
Kent Sweigert, a photography enthusiast and the retired Belvidere police chief, captured a photo of the scene in 2011. He recently contacted Zikas and offered a framed photo that he delivered Friday.
Zikas, who runs the Crossroads Diner on Route 46 in White Township with her husband Tom, said she was touched by Sweigert's thoughtfulness.
Her son, Jack Burdge, made the flag and used a crane to attach it to the silos in the weeks after the terrorist attacks. Burdge, 52, lives on the property and worked for a telecommunications company that built temporary cell towers in New York in the wake of the attacks.
Burdge is currently in a rehabilitation facility in southern New Jersey after having a stroke and brain tumor operation, Zikas said.
That made Sweigert's offer that much more special, she said.
The flag was made out of six or more sheets of plywood, she said.
"He painted each individual one to form the flag," she said.
It wasn't unusual for folks to stop along Route 519 and take pictures, although Zikas said she never really took the time to do so herself.
"I might actually have a photo of it somewhere," she said. "I probably do, but I never had it blown up or anything."
Sweigert had his photo matted and framed and he presented it to Burdge's family members Friday, including Sandi Zikas, Burdge's wife Wendy and their 6-year-old son Jack.
Pieces of the display broke off over the years. A single piece of faded plywood is all that's left.
A photo of the partial tribute called "Fading Glory" was awarded a prize at the Warren County Farmers' Fair a couple of years back, Zikas said. The photographer was kind enough to give her a copy.
Kent Sweigert, right, presents the photograph he took in 2011 to Jack Burdge's family members on Sept. 16, 2016. With Sweigert are, from left, Burdge's wife Wendy, 6-year-old son Jack and mother Sandi Zikas. (Courtesy photo) Sweigert's is the best photo she now has of the complete tribute, taken in the fall of 2011.
"The time was just right," he said. "The lighting was good and it was a nice scene with the lighting and the color."
He said he got a lot of good feedback when he posted the photo on his Facebook page leading up to this year's 15-year anniversary. In the wake of the attention, he said, it was easy to reach out to the people responsible for giving passers-by a reason to cheer.
Their gratitude made it all worth it, he said.
"I've sold a lot of photographs over the years. I do it for fun," said Sweigert, a lifelong Belvidere resident who retired from the police force in 2011 and now works for the security department at Centenary University in Hackettstown.
"I'm happy to be able to give this to the family. It's something I get excited about. I thought it would be a really nice gesture for the family. I wanted the family to have a visual memory of Jack's patriotism."
Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.