CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – More than two decades after first hanging in a Colorado high school classroom, an American flag that has traveled through combat zones and military deployments around the world now resides in Kosovo alongside Soldiers assigned to Kosovo Force (KFOR) Regional Command-East.
The flag is currently in the care of 1st Lt. Kellen Jansen, a Colorado Army National Guard Soldier serving as an assistant operations officer with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment (General Support Aviation Battalion), assigned to KFOR RC-E. For Jansen, the flag represents more than patriotism. It symbolizes legacy, sacrifice and a connection to home.
The flag’s story began in 2006 inside a classroom in Rangely, Colorado, where economics teacher Mark Jansen displayed the American flag for his students. That same year, one of his former students requested the flag be sent overseas while deployed to Afghanistan. On Dec. 27, 2006, the flag flew aboard an A-10 Thunderbolt II during a combat mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, beginning a decades-long journey across deployments and continents.
Since then, the flag has traveled through Iraq, Qatar, Poland and now Kosovo, where it remains alongside KFOR 36 Soldiers supporting NATO’s peacekeeping mission in the region. Despite years of travel, the flag remains in pristine condition, carefully preserved by the service members entrusted with carrying it forward. For Jansen, the connection is deeply personal. Growing up, he saw the flag every day hanging inside his father’s classroom, surrounded by handwritten names of former students who went on to serve their country. Now, during his first deployment, he has become part of that history himself.
“Growing up, I looked up to the names inscribed on the margins of that flag hanging in his room,” Jansen said. “The flag had a daily presence in my life, and now it’s my turn to care for it. To me, the flag connects me to home and serves as a daily reminder of the cost of freedom.”
Now stationed at Camp Bondsteel with KFOR 36, the flag continues its journey alongside Soldiers committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all people in Kosovo. Its presence serves as a reminder that military service and sacrifice extend far beyond a single deployment or generation.
What began as a classroom symbol has evolved into a living piece of military history, carried by Soldiers through deployments and passed from one generation to the next. Today, with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment in Kosovo, the flag continues to represent the enduring connection between those who serve overseas and the communities they call home.