As the midday sun beat down Wednesday, a trio of somber men trudged across a soggy, open field clutching bundles of crisp, new American flags in their hands.
Speaking few words, they moved through the freshly cut grass to deposit the flags in nine holders staked in the soil. Nine flags, each marking the spot where a man died.
The community will come together today to mark the second anniversary of the Sofa Super Store blaze that killed nine Charleston firefighters on June 18, 2007. An open memorial, from 7 to 10 p.m., will be the first time the general public has been allowed onto the site at 1807 Savannah Highway since the fire.