New flag at Black Hawk Fire Station
All the way from Iraq
There’s a very special flag flying over Black Hawk’s Fire Station. It was last flown in Iraq, but in a very unique way. Black Hawk Firefighter Chris Reid received the flag from his brother, Navy Ensign Michael Reid. While serving in Iraq, Michael arranged for Marine pilots (VMAQ-1 Banshees) to “fly” the flag with them on a combat mission. Then they sent the flag stateside as a birthday present for Chris. A certificate accompanied the flag, noting: “This is to certify that on 5 October 2008, this flag was flown into combat onboard a Marine EA-6B Prowler during “Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-02” In Honor of Christopher William Reid.” The certificate is signed by the crew (Captain Buria, R.D. “Rico” Pilot; Captain Cimina, J.P. “Fresco” ECMO 1; and Major Cauley, G.B. “Sally” ECMO 2) and details flight time as 6.6 hours. A photograph shows an American flag spread across the inside front windows of the aircraft so it’s visible from above.
Along with the flag came a request from Reid’s brother and those in his unit. Don’t just display it, they said, “Fly it.” Realizing the flag would be much more visible in public than at his home, Reid got permission to fly it at the station. On Tuesday afternoon, March 30, 2009, the call went over the intercom summoning everyone on shift to the flagpole. The firefighters struck the Colors then sent the veteran flag up the pole to snap and furl in bright splendor against the Rocky Mountain spring sky. “We’re flying this for all of our service people,” said Chris Reid, “In honor of them.”