Photo By Bianca Wilson | Learning Organizations 101 Program Administrator Jonathan Echols hoists the U.S. Flag...... read more read more
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After partaking in a successful Memorial Day event in the City of Portsmouth May 25, Norfolk Naval Shipyard Commander, Capt. Kai Torkelson, was returning to base when he noted several abandoned flagpoles across the installation. “They were in need of maintenance to return Old Glory to their masts,” said Capt. Torkelson. “So, I reached out to our Veteran Employee Readiness Group (VET-ERG), who had just led our Memorial Day Fall-In for Colors as well as placing flags at the graves of fallen veterans at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth. I knew they would be the right team for the job to take the lead in finding out what we needed to do to get a flag flown at each mast we have onboard the shipyard.”
VET-ERG President Nicholas Boyle quickly accepted Torkelson’s request and got to work assembling members of the crew. The team responded promptly and expanded its network to other organizations including NNSY’s Preservation Department (Code 970), Base Support Office (Code 800), and the Naval Facilities Public Works Department (PWD) to get the flagpoles in a condition worthy of flying the colors.
“When Capt. Torkelson came to us with this challenge, we wanted to meet the goal to have Ensigns flown at each flagpole by Independence Day,” said Boyle. “We needed to assess the condition of each mast and see if they were able to support the pulleys needed to hoist the colors. From there, we would determine what materials or actions were needed to restore the flagpoles.”
Code 970 Preservation Manager Lamont Watson led a team to inspect the poles across the shipyard, utilizing JLG boom lifts, as well as engineer support to check the structure and overall condition of the masts and checking the pulley systems.
“Everything went well with our inspections,” said Watson. “The pulleys were checked and oiled, and rope was ran where needed. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) was at the ready to get what was required to make this whole endeavor a success.”
The team performing inspections included Crane Maintenance Waterfront Branch (Code 731) Supervisor Charles Sykes, Electronics Group (Shop 98) Electrician Apprentice Nathaniel Sarracent, Shop 98 Electrician Lorenea Doles, Preservation Department (Shop 71) Painter Herbert Phillpots, Code 970 Supervisor James Wallace, Code 970 Process Manager Gaston Shaw, and Code 1142 Learning Organizations 101 Program Administrator Jonathan Echols. Each member worked hard to support the cause.
“It was an honor for me to be part of the pole rigging team,” said Echols, who is a founding member of the VET-ERG. “It did my heart good to work with such a squared-away team and service our shipyard in any way I could.”
As of July 4, in celebration of Independence Day, U.S. Flags were raised at all flagpoles across America’s Shipyard.
“It was motivating to see this team come together and meet this challenge,” said Assistant Public Works Officer Lt. Dylan Berns. “I am overjoyed that this Independence Day at America’s Shipyard reflected what President John Adams said in a letter to his wife – that this day would be ‘celebrated by succeeding generations... from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more. ‘”
“We’re very proud of the teams coming together to take on the challenge and get Old Glory flying again at these flagpoles. I thank everyone who worked hard to make this possible,” said Boyle. “This was only the first step towards our goal for these masts across the shipyard. We will continue to research preservation efforts and continue to look for innovative ways to restore these flagpoles to their former glory.”
| Date Taken: | 07.07.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2020 11:11 |
| Story ID: | 373460 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, With Flying Colors: VET-ERG Partners with NNSY to Restore Flagpoles Across the Base, by Kristi R Britt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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