Warwick artist recreates mural in time for 9-11 10th anniversary

Warwick — Within a few days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, Rocco Manno, an art teacher at Warwick Valley High School, began painting a mural on the barn at his family’s farm next to Kings Highway. His artwork, which became a familiar landmark to anyone traveling that road between Warwick and Chester, was based on a widely circulated photograph taken by Tom Franklin, a photographer for the Bergen Record in New Jersey. The mural depicted three New York City firefighters defiantly raising an American flag above the rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center towers. And in 2006 a photograph of the mural was selected for the front cover of the official journal at a World Trade Center (WTC) Memorial Foundation 5th anniversary photography exhibit. This past week, Manno was busy recreating that same artwork, in time for the 10th anniversary of 9-11. “The plywood base was in pretty bad shape because of 10 years of weather damage,” said Manno, who had been working under a tarp during several days of rain. “Now there is all new wood and that should be good for another 10 years.” In addition to replacing the wood and recreating the original artwork, Manno is adding the world famous image of the Marines raising the Flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, during World War II. “In addition to the firefighters,” said Manno, “I wanted to also pay tribute to our armed forces and all others involved with 9-11 and the aftermath of the attack who are our real life heroes.”