JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
On June 14, 1885, school teacher Bernard J. Cigrand organized a group of Wisconsin school children to observe the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of the stars and stripes as the national flag.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 as a nationally observed event. But it was not until Aug. 3, 1949, that Congress designated June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.
Flag Day continues to stir the emotions of Americans as they reflect on “Old Glory” as an enduring symbol of the country’s ideals.
At Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, as motorists pass through the Lindsey Gate to enter the installation via Harmon Drive, a striking visual image catches their eyes. Old Glory, flying high atop a flag pole in front of the Taj Mahal, overlooks a median lined neatly on two sides with the flag of every state in the Union.
Dedicated on April 4, 1985, Flag Plaza also symbolizes America’s ideals, honoring the home state of everyone who has served their country as a member of the U.S. Air Force.
On that day, as chronicled by the Wingspread newspaper in the April 5, 1985 edition, Air Force officials accepted the gift of Flag Plaza from the Air Force Sergeants Association, which raised $26,000 from private individuals, groups and area businesses to buy the flags and create the plaza:
“Chief Master Sgt. Thomas C. Nesbit, president of AFSA chapter 1075, formally presented the plaza to the Air Force during the 45-minute ceremony. Gen. Andrew P. Iosue, commander of Air Training Command, accepted the plaza for the Air Force. Chief Master Sgt. Robert Carter, ATC’s senior enlisted adviser, said the Flag Plaza honors Air Force men and women, past and present, for their commitment and sacrifice while in service to their country.”
In that same edition, Col. Bob Rohatsch, 12th Flying Training Wing commander, said in a commentary that the plaza came about through the teamwork of everyone who took part in the project, from AFSA and the flag donors to engineers who designed the plaza, construction and maintenance workers, and airmen who volunteered to set up and take down the flags.
“And isn’t that exactly what our 50 state flags represent?” he said. “Our country has, and will continue, to demonstrate to the world that as a team the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is the lesson for all of us. From the youngest airman to our most senior officer, we are each a valuable part of the Air Force team. As a team we can make things happen.”
In the plaza’s early days, the flags only flew on special occasions such as Veterans Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day and other significant days, but today they fly daily.
The responsibility of maintaining, ordering and replacing all 50 state flags, the American flag in front of the Taj and the POW/MIA flag in Heritage Park now belongs to the 502nd Security Forces Group, which has been taking care of the flags since 2011, said William Conshue, 502nd SFG JBSA-Randolph executive agent.
“Flags are inspected twice a year and replaced as necessary,” he said. “However, if we notice a flag that needs to be replaced sooner because of its condition, we will replace it at that time. Normally our front office staff will replace flags, but on occasion we have asked the Junior ROTC students at Randolph High School to help since they earn community service hours.”
The only significant changes to Flag Plaza since its dedication occurred in 2008, when the plaza was renovated and given the name Avenue of American States.
New poles replaced the original poles and a new bronze plaque with the names of all the original donors was installed in an area in front of the flags near the main gate, flanked by plaques commemorating the plaza’s dedication in 1985 and directly behind another plaque honoring Lt. Gen. Millard Harmon, for whom Harmon Drive was named.
On Nov. 17, 2009, the renovated display was rededicated by Gen. Stephen Lorenz, commander of Air Education and Training Command, and Col. Jacquelyn Van Ovost, 12th Flying Training Wing commander.
Scott Shepherd, 902nd Civil Engineer Squadron cultural resources manager at the time, designed the plaque that listed all the donors who contributed to the project in 1985.
“It was a really great idea (putting up Flag Plaza),” Shepherd told the Wingspread. “For the few who were on Randolph during that time, there are a lot of memories to be had.
“Twenty-seven years later, the flags are creating new memories,” he said. “It just wouldn’t be Randolph without them.”