Ohio Flags Of Honor
The "Ohio Flags Of Honor" were displayed in Portsmouth
the weekend of February 17 - 19, 2006
Troop 12 had an active role
City of Portsmouth rolls out the Red Carpet as a large number
of American Flags, military flags, state, and other patriotic and civic
groups also dispalyed their banners.
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Flag Finale
By Jeff BarronPDT Staff Writer
With a bugler from American Legion Post 93 playing “Taps,”
the Flags of Honor memorial at Tracy Park concluded Sunday.
The park was filled since Friday with flags honoring Ohioans who have been killed
in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
“It's been fantastic,” memorial development chairman Andy Leavitt said.
“Portsmouth is a great host for this event.”
That is in spite of the cold and snow on Saturday. “The important thing is the flags are up,” Leavitt said.
“But it was cold.”
About 50 people were at the closing ceremony, including many from veterans organizations.
Leavitt said the point of the memorial was to honor those killed and their families.
“We had probably six to 10 families of the fallen from all over Ohio,” Leavitt said.
“We had one family drive down from Lima to post their son's pole.
It was a mix of community, veterans and Boy Scouts.”
Local Boy Scouts helped set up the display on Friday. They also helped take
it down Sunday in about 20 minutes.
William Etterling's son, Jonathan, was killed last year in a helicopter
crash in Iraq. William Etterling spoke at the memorial on Friday and also
attended Sunday's closing.“We're still very proud and we'll
always be proud of our servicemen and women,” the Wheelersburg resident said.
“We stand in amazement of young people who stand up for our freedoms. I look
at this crowd of veterans and I wish I could thank each one of them. And I have tried.”
Ohio residents Gino and Lisa Zimmer began the flag program in 2004 after their son,
Nick, was killed in Kufa, Iraq. It was originally called Operation Iraqi Freedom
Chopper Fund after the support offered by veterans' motorcycle clubs.
But when a Marine group from Lima returned from Iraq in September after suffering
heavy losses, an American Legion post built an “avenue of flags”
at Rickenbacker Field in Columbus. The Flags of Honor memorial will move to
Chillicothe next weekend. Etterling said there are plans to bring it back to
Tracy Park in the summer.
JEFF BARRON can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 236.
Flags Of Honor Photos - Page One
Flags Of Honor Photos - Page Two
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