Photo By Tech. Sgt. Victor J. Caputo | Members of the 22nd Air Refueling Wing and 184th Intelligence Wing Honor Guards pose...... read more read more
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MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. – An honor guardsmen team from the 184th Intelligence Wing and 22nd Air Refueling Wing honored the memory of two Kansans, who died in World War II, during a flag folding ceremony, Aug. 10, in Wichita, Kansas.
The memorial flags for brothers Staff Sgt. Dale Francis and Pfc. Paul Edward Kingsley, who died in 1943 and 1944 respectively, were ceremoniously folded in the manner of a military funeral before being presented to Verna Welsh, their younger sister and last surviving sibling.
“I’m grateful to the Air Force for doing this,” said Welsh. “I’ve had these flags for years, and I told my daughter, ‘You know, I should get these folded.’”
Welsh’s daughter was able to reach out to a retired member of the 184th IW, who brought it to the attention of the honor guard. The 184th IW Honor Guard jumped at the chance to honor the fallen brothers.
Master Sgt. Jayme Gabbard, 184th IW Honor Guard superintendent, immediately began planning a ceremony for the flag foldings, coordinating with the 22nd ARW Honor Guard to help fill in all of the necessary positions.
“It gives me piece of mind to know that anytime something like this comes up, I can call Tech. Sgt. [Terrance] Williams, [22nd ARW Honor Guard NCO in charge,] and have his team step up and help us out,” said Gabbard.
The significance of this ceremony was not lost on the Airmen involved. Both flags contained only 48 stars, as Alaska and Hawaii were not admitted into the Union until after World War II.
“It was an honor to be able to hold a piece of history in your hands and give it its due diligence,” said Gabbard.
The 19-man team consisted of active duty and Air National Guard Airmen ranging in rank from airman first class to chief master sergeant to captain, and they dutifully honored the fallen brothers with the ceremonial flag fold and the playing of taps.
“All that Verna, their sister, asked, was to have their flags re-folded, and she had no idea we would honor her brothers with this ceremony,” said Williams. “It was a great experience for us to be a part of, and it was great seeing some of the younger Airmen take in the history of our military.”
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2015 15:33 |
| Story ID: | 172721 |
| Location: | MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, KS, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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