JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- The American flag has been seen in some of the most memorable moments in history. Whether it was at the Battle of Baltimore that inspired our national anthem, the monumental victory at Iwo Jima, the landing on the moon, or after the 9/11 attacks when firemen draped "Old Glory" over the pentagon, the flag has always signified our nation's fortitude.
For one Airman stationed here, the flag means even more.
Staff Sgt. Heriberto Gonzalez, a force protection escort for the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, now owns an American flag that has been carried by three of his family generations during wartime.
"Gonzo," as he is referred to by his flight line coworkers, is on his eighth deployment since joining the Air Force. An avionics craftsman by trade, he volunteered to deploy to Iraq to provide security for local and third-country nationals working on base.
His grandfather, Beningo Santiago-Arroyo was born, March 12, 1921, and enlisted in the Army in World War II, June 10, 1944. He served as a cement finisher and building inspector assigned to the 1557th Engineer Combat Company. While stationed in Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, he earned the award of marksman on his primary weapon, the semiautomatic AR-44. At the end of his wartime service, Santiago-Arroyo's superiors presented him an American flag as a gesture of thanks for a job well done.
Gonzalez's grandfather passed the flag down to his own son right before he was drafted and sent to fight in the Vietnam conflict. Gonzo's father carried the flag with him during his entire two-year combat tour.
Gonzo's deployment here offered him the opportunity to have the 65-year-old flag flown over the skies of Iraq.
For Gonzalez, the decision to fly the flag during a combat sortie here was his way of honoring the military heritage within his family.
"Eighty percent of the men in my family have been in the military -- mostly Army and Navy, but I'm only the second one to enlist in the Air Force," he said. "It just seemed like the best choice for me."
Gonzalez has deployed several times -- once to Saudi Arabia, four times to Turkey, twice to Qatar, and now to Iraq. When asked about his heritage and why he chose this deployment over all others, Gonzo recalls all of his military family. He felt this was the right time to have this family heirloom honored -- on the jet he works on and loves, the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Gonzo says he isn't sure if he will have children, or if they will even join the military, but if so, he hopes to continue the family tradition in future generations.
| Date Taken: |
12.01.2009 |
| Date Posted: |
12.01.2009 01:08 |
| Story ID: |
42178 |
| Location: |
BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: |
251 |
| Downloads: |
222 |
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This work, True Colors: Airman's flag becomes third-generation wartime family heirloom, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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