Flag flies one final time

A few hundred people gathered at VFW Post 8242 off of Highway 95 as a flag measuring 65 feet in height and 112 feet in length was flown for the very last time Sunday.

The flag was commissioned by Yuma resident Bob Tuffly nearly a decade ago in honor of the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack and was constructed by Sewmasters of Yuma.

During the flag's final descent, an honor guard made up of members from American Legion Posts 19 and 56 in Yuma and Post 84 in Ohio fired a 21-gun salute, and bugler Terry Greene finished the ceremony by playing Taps.

“It's important to honor the veterans before us, during our time and after us,” said Greene, who retired from the U.S. Marine Corps after 20 years of service. “We have come here to honor them as they honor us by protecting our country.”

The large U.S. flag has flown over a number of events in the Yuma area. One of the most memorable, said American Legion Post 19 chaplain Rev. Woodie Woodward, was when it flew proudly over the Fry's parking lot along 4th Avenue near 24th Street a year after the attacks occurred.

It was then that it became famous nationally after a photo was taken by Yuman Janna Noe on Sept. 11, 2002. In the photo, the sun was directly behind the blue star field and created what appeared to be a white cross.

According to a previous article of the Yuma Sun, the cross appeared on the flag because the spaces between the vertical threads allowed vertical strips of light to shine through, and the spaces between the horizontal threads allowed horizontal strips of light to shine through, creating the cross.

Years later, the flag was also hoisted near the Yuma International Airport to welcome then-President George W. Bush during a visit to Yuma in May 2006.

“You can tell by looking at it that it has held up well, but it has been through a lot,” Woodward commented. “This is a very dignified way to take it out of service.”

He shared that the flag reminds Yumans of what happened 10 years ago, and he described 9/11 as the greatest single tragedy that America experienced since Pearl Harbor.

“It was definitely a wake-up call and it has certainly sparked an increased amount of patriotic spirit in the American people,” Woodward said. “Americans now are more aware of what is going on around them and are more protective of their country and their families than they were before 9/11.”

Skip Knaresboro, a member of the VFW 8242 Men's Auxiliary, added that the donations raised during Sunday's flag retirement will support the Wounded Warriors of Yuma, which provides items needed by service personnel in military medical facilities and to personally welcome them home.

“9/11 is a day that we will never forget and we're trying to do our best to give back,” he said.

Sarah Womer can be reached at swomer@yumasun.com or 539-6858.