Morrisville assisted living home erects flagpole

Friday, August 10, 2012

Tags:

wake county, local/state, caitlin coyner

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- An employee makes it his mission to get a flag erected outside the assisted living center where he works. It was an effort that was especially important to the 32 U.S. veterans who have been living there.

Roger O'Shields is a Vietnam veteran who served in the Navy for just over 20 years. Now he and his wife Vi live in the Manor Village at Preston in Morrisville. While they say they love it there, they admit that, until now, it's been missing one thing -- a United States flag.

That all changed with a flag raising ceremony that honored O'Shields and 31 other residents who are veterans, including retired General Eugene Bowling.

"Every time I see that flag go up, I get chills in my spine," said Bowling.

The ceremony was filled with moving moments. It was all made possible by an employee who first noticed that these residents needed a flag out front.

"They're just very, very proud people, and rightfully so, and they worked for this," said Maintenance Director Michael Waunsch. "They deserve to have a flag flying over their home."

Waunsch enlisted the help of the U.S. Veterans Corp who in turn got a local company, Developmental Resources, to donate and install the flagpole for free.

The flag that's currently flying at the assisted living center actually flew over the Capitol in Washington D.C. It was donated by Sen. Richard Burr.

And now, that same flag will fly proudly over these veterans from the Vietnam War, the Korean War, and even World War II.

"The flag to me is a very precious piece of cloth," said Navy veteran Claude "Doug" Holland.

"Oh, so meaningful," said O'Shields. "I cannot express what this meant to us as a veteran here in the Manor Village. And to have all these people turn out, it's really meaningful. "