Younger vets need to help with Avenue of Flags
This letter is in response to the Avenue of Flags letter that was posted last week. I understand Erick’s concern and have seen the condition of the flags first hand.
I served just short of 4 years in the Army, and of that spent 6 months in Iraq. The first thing that they teach you at basic training is how to properly care for the flag and how to act as they are raising the flag in the morning and retreating the flag at night.
Now I have seen the nylon flags that he was talking about, and I will agree that they do look out of place with no names on some of them. Families of the veterans pay for the flags and the poles that they have been placed on.
I have helped with the Avenue of Flags many times though out the years except when I was away on military orders. From start to finish it took about 45min to 1 hour for set up and take down. What some people needed to understand is that the people caring for the flags now are from the Vietnam War area. These veterans are getting older and not younger.
I see very few younger veterans joining the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and the American Legion. I agree with the writer as to the fact that down the road the Avenue of flags will no longer fly unless something is done about it. There are many ways that statement could go.
I see that because there are no Operation Desert Shield, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom vets joining to help out, we may very well lose not only the Avenue of Flags but the VFW, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and AMVETS.
I now want to challenge all my brothers and sisters in arms to go join those organizations and learn from the fellow veterans how these organizations run and what they do to help other vets. This will not only help these organizations stay alive and assist other veterans in needed but keep programs like the Avenue of Flags running by getting more people involved with assisting with the maintaining the flags, set up and tear-down.
If you need information on how to join organizations or if you qualify to join, then go down to the local post of the organization and inquire. I do not want to see the Avenue of Flags disappear, but I would like to see the flags flown in the proper manner and repaired properly. I also want to encourage local citizens who have flags flying that are able to, go up and help set up and take down the flags.
Ryan Martin
Operation Iraqi Freedom Vet
United States Army (Ret)
