Dover Airmen restore past, raise the future at local Veteran's shelter Published Nov. 17, 2006 By Senior Airman James Bolinger 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- A lone house sits between farm fields down a quiet, country road. Inside the house live 15 veterans and outside stand three flag poles. One pole carries the American Flag flying proudly 40 feet above the ground. On the others, the Delaware State and Prisoner-of-War/Missing-in-Action flags ride an autumn breeze. The flags welcome visitors traveling the road. However, as one gets closer to the poles, one can't help but notice the poles scarred condition - more rust than paint graces their sides and the halyards are worn beyond usefulness. This house is where Dover Air Force Base's Airman Leadership School's Class 07-A decided to volunteer their time on Veteran's Day to restore the flag poles to their original glory. ALS students are required to participate in a community service project before graduating and Class 07-A chose to help The Home of the Brave Veteran's Shelter in Milford, Del., said Master Sgt. Russel Hughes, ALS flight chief. Even for 26 Dover Airmen, repainting the rusty poles would have been a daunting task without help, he said. That's when Jim Plumley, 436th Airlift Wing honorary command chief master sergeant, stepped in to help. Mr. Plumley, who visits every ALS class several times during their instructional period, procured a 45-foot hydraulic lift to assist the students with the restoration project. "I made some phone calls to different rental places and when I reached (United Rentals) the owner said he was prior Air Force," said Mr. Plumley, who visits ALS classes helping students understand the correlation between supervising in the military and the civilian sector. "I explained to (the owner) what ALS was, and what the class needed to get the job done and he donated a lift, and even drove it down to the home for us." Class 07-A worked with other community members in addition to Mr. Plumley to acquire funds for the project, said Senior Airman John Loy, 436th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. They also received donations from Best Western, the Sheraton Hotel, the United Services Organization of Delaware and Sherwin Williams. Before the poles could be repainted, several steps had to be taken, said Sergeant Hughes. First the students lowered the poles to the ground and took off all the hardware. Then the students sanded and primed them before re-raising them. "One group of students painted the poles a vibrant white, while others fixed pulleys, replaced halyards and restored functionality to the refurbished flag poles," he said. Once all the fixtures had been replaced, the class and a group of veterans formed up in front of the poles for a late-afternoon reveille. The American flag was raised ceremoniously and quietly as the sun fell on the farms surrounding the house, said Sergeant Hughes. "It gave me chills, seeing those veterans out there," said Airman Loy, who was part of the flag detail. "Every one of them popped to attention and rendered a salute, some of them even had tears in their eyes. You could tell they needed this, not getting the flag poles fixed, but participating in that ceremony just one more time." Class 07-A, who graduated Wednesday night, proudly showed the Air Force core value of Service Before Self, said Sergeant Hughes. Whiles raising a flag in the middle of a farmer's field may have been a simple ceremony, it keeps with the spirit of our founding fathers and the visions they held for our country. Editors note: No federal endorsement is implied.