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PAGE 6WINGSPREADJUNE 1, 2012Flag Plaza evokes pride, memoriesas part of Randolph heritageBy Alex SalinasJoint Base San Antonio-Randolph Public AffairsThe flags on Harmon Drive were officiallydedicated by the Air Force Sergeants Association,Chapter 1075, on Feb. 27, 1985.The project, spearheaded by the AFSA, was paidfor from donations by individuals and organizations.According to documents chronicling the constructionof the flags on Harmon Drive, theflags represented “actions being taken toshow Randolph’s heritage and its great traditionof patriotic service to our country.”Numerous off-base donations showed how importantthe flags were not only to Randolph, butthe surrounding community, Sharon McDaniel,12th Flying Training Wing chief of protocol, said.“In the past few years, the American peoplehave had a resurgence of patriotic pride intheir country and heritage,” according to anoriginal donation form from the project.McDaniel explained sentiments that ledup to the mid-1980s and how they playeda role into the construction of the flags.“After the Vietnam War, many troops who camehome were spat upon,” McDaniel said. “Men whocame back from overseas were forgotten about;that was the climate of the 1970s. It was arough time for the military, but thatchanged when politicalsupport surroundingRonald Reaganbrought patriotismback to the U.S.”Revived patriotismtranslated into severalAir Force basesreviving their ownlook – resulting in whatwas to become “FlagPlaza” for Randolph.The flags – one foreach of the 50 U.S.states – complementthe landmark “TajMahal,” chapel andMissing-Man Monumenton Harmon Driveand have been wellreceivedby passersby.Even the RandolphHonor Guard’s membersadmire the aestheticquality of Flag Plaza.“It makes for an awesome, picturesque setting,”Senior Airman Colby Albright, RandolphHonor Guard Flight B member, said.“You can’t help but look at them when youdrive into base from the Main Gate.”A part of the honor guard’s duty is towatch over and replace any state flags thatare faded, tattered or torn. They inspect theflags for wear and tear once per month.The honor guards’ vigilance in keeping a watchfuleye over the flags transfers into their personal lives.“When I’m watching football games on TVor driving around base or anywhere else, I’mmore observant,” Albright said. “I pay attentionto certain things now that I didn’t before.”Senior Airman Louis Diaz, Randolph Honor GuardFlight B member, shares Albright’s experience andacts upon what he’s learned as an honor guard whennot in uniform – the honor guard uniform that is.“I never paid much attention to the flags until Ijoined honor guard,” he said. “I can now pick outthings here and there (especially from performinghonor guard routines). I pay attention to detaila lot. I’ll walk into another building and fix a flag.All of this is really embedded in you forever.”Diaz even admitted he’s relearned the stateflags from his work of helping to replace them– elementary knowledge many people forgetbecause they don’t think about it, he said.The 50 flags on Harmon Drive were originallyslated to be flown on special occasions such as onVeterans Day, Memorial Day and Fourth of July accordingto documents. But because they are on constantdisplay, they require attention and inspections.And while Randolph’s honor guard flightsshare the duty of replacing the flags, which Albrightsaid is a fairly easy maneuver with thepole levers, McDaniel said the poles’ design haschanged from when they were first mounted.“The old poles came in two pieces and they hadto be disassembled to replace the flags,” she said.Scott Shepherd, 902nd Civil Engineer Squadroncultural resources manager, said thereused to be individual plaques at the bottomof every flag pole representing the donationsfrom individuals for each state flag.However, when the new poles arrived, Shepherddesigned the large bronze plaque in frontof Harmon Drive directly across from the MainGate, in between the two columns of flags,in November 2009. In that space, dubbedthe “Avenue of American States,”rests the new plaquethat lists more than50 names of individualsand organizationsthat helped donatemoney to the project,as well as three otherplaques dated from1950 and 1985 thathonor Flag Plaza.“It was a reallygreat idea (putting upFlag Plaza),” Shepherdsaid. “For thefew who were onRandolph during thattime, there are a lot ofmemories to be had.“Twenty-seven yearslater, the flags arecreating new memories.It just wouldn’tbe Randolph withoutPhoto by Rich McFadden them,” he said.