Military News
Flags of Their Own
By Staff Sgt. Rex Tran, 419th CSSB, 10th SBDE, PAO
Jan 8, 2009 - 12:29:42 AM

Blackanthem Military News

Spc. Dennis Bibby, a machinist and Atlantic City, N.J. native, Spc. Carl Weeks, a machinist and Murfreesboro, Tenn. native, Spc. Andrew Mills, light wheel vehicle mechanic and Hobe Sound, Fla. Native, are Soldiers of the 536th Maintenance Company, 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, stack the flagpoles that they built for Iraq. These flagpoles will fly 70 Iraqi flags all across the country. The 24 hours they spent on the poles will have an everlasting imprint throughout the country. (Photo taken by Sgt 1st Class Crystal Izlar, 536th Maint. Co., 419th CSSB, 10th SBDE)

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Everyone has seen the photograph of five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the flag on Iwo Jima.  It became a symbol of World War II and received notoriety and fame.  The recent movie "Flags of our Fathers" depicts the story of those men.

Today, more than 50 years later, American Soldiers are at it again.  Soldiers of the 536th Maintenance Company, 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, are raising flags of their own-approximately 70 flags that is.

The 536th Maint. Co. was notified that a shipment of 70 flag poles to Iraq could not be delivered due to bad weather in the U.S.  These Soldiers were given the mission by the brigade headquarters to fulfill this very important mission to support the Government of Iraq's independence.  Like all Soldiers before them they came up with a solution and began to build the flag poles from scratch.  The Soldiers worked approximately 24 hours straight to meet the shipment date.  They completed 70 flag poles that were also equipped with the pulleys and tie downs needed to raise the flags.

The difference between the flags being raised today and the one on Iwo Jima is that the Iraqi flag will be the one flying high.  Although the flags aren't the same between then and now, the significance is similar.  With the help of American Soldiers, the Iraqi people, government and military are becoming self sufficient and taking back their country.

If it's a symbol or sign we are looking for, take a photograph of that first 536th Maint. Co., flagpole cemented into the Iraqi ground.  Although the flagpoles are somewhat rusted over, and a little rough around the edges, they still signify a beautiful future for Iraq as well as the U.S. Soldiers.