FLAG-RAISING:

Numbed by the images he was photographing that detailed the destruction of the World Trade Center, White Plains, N.Y., Journal News photographer Ricky Flores at first could not understand why the editors of his paper were so interested in one particular photo that he took of three New York City firemen raising a pole with the U.S. flag amid the ruins and rubble. For Flores, it was one of the least dramatic photos he had taken the day of the terrorists' attack. He had been capturing the catastrophic scene of blown-out office windows, ambulances covered with rubble and the mountains of debris created when two hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers Sept. 11, causing the collapse of one of the world's most famous landmarks. But it was the photo of the firemen raising the U.S. flag that his editors fixated on when he returned to the paper's office -- a photo reminiscent of the World War II shot of four Marines planting the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima. Flores, along with another photographer, shot the photo of the firemen raising the flag at 1 World Financial Center from a window in a building in which they sought shelter. One of the photos, taken from ground level, has received worldwide media attention. Flores says his photo is receiving much more attention in recent days. His paper is selling copies of it, with the proceeds going to charities established to aid victims of the terrorist attacks. For more information and to view the photo, visit www.thejournalnews. com/lend.html "For me, the photo showed how to fight back against hopelessness and despair," Flores told Weekly Report.

FOOTNOTE TO THE TRAGEDY:

Sept. 11 was the toughest day he has ever endured in his 22-year career, Flores says. His wife works for Blue Cross Blue Shield from home but reports once a week to the company's office in the World Trade Center. She was scheduled to go there the next day. Working among the piles of paper and rubble surrounding the World Trade Center, Flores said he broke down crying when he stumbled upon a Blue Cross Blue Shield logo and a blank paper with the name of one of his wife's co-workers printed on top.