What Are All Those Flags at Cedar Knoll? The Stories Behind Alexandria’s Flags for Heroes

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Drivers heading south on the George Washington Memorial Parkway can’t miss them. More than 200 American flags now cover the hillside at Cedar Knoll Restaurant, their red, white and blue rising above the Potomac River during America’s 250th anniversary year. But visitors who stop and walk among the flags quickly discover the display is about much more than patriotism.

Attached to each flag is a personalized dedication card honoring someone whose life made a difference. Some of the names belong to veterans. Others honor firefighters, teachers, healthcare workers, parents, grandparents, mentors, neighbors and friends remembered as heroes by the people who loved them.

The display is part of the Rotary Club of Alexandria’s ninth annual Flags for Heroes fundraiser. This year’s event raised more than $30,000, with proceeds supporting Alexandria Rotary community projects and local nonprofit organizations.

Rotary described the heart of the project in a social media post after the flags went up, writing that members and their networks are able to “show their appreciation and love to their personal hero by sponsoring a flag” with a personalized name placard. “All of the funds we raise are given back to our local non-profit organizations,” the club wrote.

Service, History and America 250

This year’s display carries added significance as the nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States. The flags stand on land with deep ties to Alexandria’s earliest history. According to a brief history provided by Cedar Knoll, the property was once part of George Washington’s River Farm, the northernmost of the five farms that made up the Mount Vernon estate. During Washington’s lifetime, River Farm was leased to his secretary and nephew-in-law, Tobias Lear.

That connection gives the display a powerful sense of place. Just days after The Zebra Press reported on George Washington’s personal Bible returning to Christ Church Alexandria for a rare display, another local America 250 story is reminding visitors how closely Alexandria’s past remains connected to the nation’s founding.

Today, hundreds of flags honoring modern-day heroes wave above the Potomac on land once connected to the nation’s first president. It is a fitting setting for a tribute built around service, sacrifice and gratitude.

Rotary Club Past President Jim Carmalt told Jeanne Theismann of the Alexandria Gazette Packet that the flags serve a dual purpose. “These flags not only recognize our heroes but also support multiple local charities,” Carmalt said. The project also helps support scholarships, Scouting programs, STEM education and other community initiatives.

More Than a Beautiful View

The display has also become one of Northern Virginia’s most meaningful patriotic photo opportunities during the America 250 celebration. Visitors can walk among the flags, read the hero cards, photograph sweeping views of the Potomac River and experience one of Alexandria’s most distinctive Fourth of July season landmarks.

There is no admission charge, no ticket booth and no prescribed route through the display. Visitors simply wander among the flags, stopping wherever a name or card catches their attention. For some, that quiet act of reading becomes the most moving part of the visit.

Alexandria resident Tom Kopko shared his reaction after looking through the hero cards attached to the flags.

“I looked through the ‘Hero Cards’ attached to flags,” Kopko wrote on the Rotary Club of Alexandria’s Facebook page. “This one stood out to me…a WWII vet who gave all at Normandy. Others on cards who gave all, too, were much more recent.”

Another visitor, Lisa Dolan, discovered the display almost by accident after seeing it from the Parkway.

“Wish I had known about this sooner,” she wrote. “I saw it from the PKWY today, and stopped to check it out. I would have sponsored a flag.”

Their comments capture what makes the display work. Many people arrive to admire the view, but they leave thinking about the names.

Three Lives Among Hundreds

The following honorees represent just three of the more than 200 stories fluttering above the Potomac this summer. Together, they show how broadly Rotary defines heroism: military service, service on the home front and a lifetime spent protecting others.

A World War II Airman Who Helped Shape the Air Force Community

One flag honors August H. “Gus” Duda, a World War II Army Air Forces veteran whose life of service continued long after the war ended. Duda served from 1940 to 1945, including time in the Southwest Pacific. He began as an airplane engine mechanic trainee, served as a crew chief and later graduated through the Flying Sergeants Program as a flight officer.

After moving to Alexandria in 1951, Duda built a long career in the association and hospitality industries. He helped develop the Air Force Association during its formative years, later worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce promoting American trade abroad and founded The Duda Group, a hospitality management firm serving associations, hotels and convention organizations.

In 1983, Duda co-founded the DC Invitational, the hospitality industry’s first national golf tournament in the Washington area. Over two decades, the event raised more than $135,000 for charitable organizations. Duda died in 2017 at the age of 101 and is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

A Grandfather Who Served His Country From the Family Farm

Another flag honors William Henry O’Dell, whose wartime service came not on a battlefield but from America’s farm fields. After suffering a devastating fall in 1939, O’Dell was unable to enlist during World War II. Instead, he remained in Dover Plains, New York, where his work as a dairy and crop farmer helped feed the nation during the war years.

Later in life, O’Dell worked as both a carpenter and a mental health worker while raising six children. He died of lung cancer in 1973 at just 57 years old, but his family remembers him as a hardworking father and beloved grandfather whose quiet sacrifices reflected another kind of service.

A Firefighter Who Dedicated His Life to Protecting Others

A third flag honors Wilbur “Bill” Carmalt, remembered as the oldest living and longest-serving retired firefighter in the District of Columbia. His career was defined by public safety, duty and a willingness to answer the call when others needed help.

After his years with the D.C. Fire Department, Carmalt continued serving as Chief of Fire Prevention for the Military District of Washington. His life represents the kind of everyday heroism seen throughout the Cedar Knoll display: steady, local, practical service that protected countless people over many decades.

Every Flag Has a Story

The three lives highlighted here are only a small sample of the stories represented across the hillside. Some flags honor military veterans. Others recognize teachers who inspired generations, healthcare workers who comforted patients, first responders who answered difficult calls, parents who sacrificed for their families or neighbors whose kindness left a lasting mark.

Every flag has a sponsor. Every sponsor has a story. Every story begins with gratitude, and that may be the real reason visitors find themselves slowing down as they move through the display.

During America’s 250th birthday year, Flags for Heroes reminds visitors that the nation’s story is not told only through famous names found in history books. It is also written in the lives of local people who served with honor, worked with purpose, cared for others and made their communities stronger.

The Flags for Heroes display remains on view at Cedar Knoll Restaurant through July 10. Rotary members are already looking ahead to 2027, when the beloved community tradition will celebrate its 10th anniversary.

For readers wondering whether to stop, the answer is yes. Walk among the flags, read the hero cards and chances are you will leave thinking not only about American history, but about someone who has been a hero in your own life.