Nellis Airmen restore vandalized American flag Published July 21, 2010 By Airman 1st Class Cynthia A. Haughton Nellis Public Affairs NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- For more than 200 years, the American flag has been a symbol of strength, unity, pride, and inspiration for our nation. The flag is a powerful symbol of liberty and freedom, especially for those who fight for and defend it. This is particularly true for one Nellis Airman and his wingmen from Detachment 13 of the 372nd Training Squadron. The Airmen repainted an American flag sign June 30 in front of Davis Concrete Construction on Nellis Boulevard. The large flag with the words, "God bless America and our military" --posted as a daily reminder to passersby to remember the sacrifices, both past and present, which have been made in service of this country--had been tainted by a scribble of graffiti underneath the stars. Tech. Sgt. Robert Benson, an F-16 crew chief instructor with Detachment 13, first noticed the graffiti, and planned the mission to correct it. "When I first saw the graffiti on the flag, it got under my skin," he said. "People drive past this flag every day, and I'm sure it upsets other people as well." Sure enough, when Sergeant Benson got to work and shared what he had seen with his peers, he was not alone in his disgust at the disrespect of the flag. "When Sergeant Benson told us about the graffiti, we all wanted to come out and correct it," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Delwiche, a munitions instructor with Det. 13. "Someone put up a sign commemorating us; we want to clean up the graffiti to recognize them." After coordinating with Neil Davis, the owner of Davis Concrete Construction, and picking up the needed supplies, which were donated by Lowe's on North Nellis Boulevard, the Airmen gathered at the flag to begin the project. "A few weeks ago, Sergeant Benson stopped by our office and asked if he and a few others from Nellis could repaint the sign," Mr. Davis said. "I gave permission and had forgotten about it until I came to the office and saw them hard at work." "Sergeant Benson came to me with the idea, I told him to get it together and make it happen, and here we are," said 1st Lt. Candis Collins, commander of Det. 13. The group ran into a few minor issues at first, such as complications with retouching the 50 stars, but they came up with a solution--making white vinyl star stickers instead of painting them--and worked tirelessly to complete their mission. "I'm really proud of my troops," Lieutenant Collins said. "It's great to see them be a part of something bigger than themselves. A lot of times, you get caught up in work and forget about what's going on outside of the base, so it's nice to see them doing things out in the community." Unfortunately, the owners of the company had already had to re-paint the flag once before to get rid of graffiti and restore its original appearance. "People should respect the flag, but it's just a fight we have to keep fighting," Sergeant Benson said. "If it happens again, we'll just come back out and re-do it." Though it was a somewhat challenging task, the Airmen pulled together to get the job done, and enjoyed the time they had to further their camaraderie and support the community. "The sign looks great with a new coat of paint and new stars cut from vinyl and perfectly placed," Mr. Davis said. "My wife and I were deeply moved by this act of unselfishness. We will never be able to adequately express our gratitude for these Airmen that took the time and trouble to do a kind deed for another fellow American." The Airmen volunteers were equally appreciative. "As long as I've been here, Mr. Davis has always shown support for Nellis and the military," said MSgt. Gorge Mujica, superintendent of Det. 13. "We are happy to support them this way. They've supported us, now it's our turn to support them."
