ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Federal holidays are a time to relax, take a day off from work, taking pride in our country and traditions. For several businesses in Altus, Oklahoma, they are about showing patriotism and Altus Air Force Base has group of Airmen who dedicate their time to help the local community do just that.
Twelve Airmen spent the morning and evening of Memorial Day putting up flags around the local community, May 29, 2017, at Altus, Oklahoma.
As they were putting up the flags, they were thinking about the service members who came before them, said U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class David Pankonen, 97th OSS weather craftsman. “We’re raising the U.S. flag for them. It’s about pride in our country and our past.”
Memorial Day isn’t the only federal holiday that the 97th OSS provides this service for the community.
“The Kiwanis Club came to us a while ago and said, ‘hey, we’re doing this thing with flags where we put up flags at businesses in the Altus community and we are not big enough to do this efficiently’,” said Pankonen. “They asked us to provide volunteers in the morning and in the evening to put out these flags over these businesses and take them back in the afternoon.”
“It’s any holiday that has to do with a military theme,” said Bob Gable, Kincannon Funeral Home funeral director and former Kiwanis Club president. “Memorial Day, Flag Day, 4th of July, 9/11, ect.; holidays around a military theme for those who’ve served during a war or died during one.”
Now a tradition, the community looks forward to seeing the base in action on the holidays.
“It started out as a community project and the rest is history,” said Gable. “I am pretty grateful for the base taking on this project where we lack the manpower and resources to help out. It’s a good partnership to have them come and help out.”
Providing this service to the local community was a simple task the members of the 97th OSS were happy to oblige and the community took notice of it.
“I was out putting up flags at a business one time and the person who owned the business was parking at the time we were there,” said Pankonen. “He came out and said, ‘hey sir, I really appreciate you going and doing this for us. It really means a lot that you guys from the base are coming out and doing this for us every holiday morning.’ That means that they’re getting something out of it and I really enjoy going out and helping people.”
The dedication that the members of the 97th OSS have to the community and the nation help honor fellow service members, past and present, while also displaying the strong community connection between Altus AFB and the City of Altus.