Zack Sliver: Jerry Bowling III is the kind of person who notices things other people walk past. He’s lived in Old North Dayton his entire life and has always been someone who gives back — volunteering, helping neighbors, and staying involved in the community he loves. But one day, something caught his attention that he couldn’t shake: the flagpole at the North Dayton Patriots Memorial stood empty.
To some, an empty flagpole may not seem important. But to many people, the American flag represents something deeply personal — the people who served, the people who never made it home.
Jerry felt that absence.
Rather than waiting for somebody else to fix it, he took initiative. He organized a community effort to bring the American flag back to the memorial where it belongs.
Jerry Bowling III: For me, it just didn't seem right to have a memorial without a flag there. Now, there was a wooden structure where these little wood flags, short flags could be
placed, and I started placing flags there, especially because there was no flag on the flagpole that was adjacent to the memorial.
Just from a personal standpoint, when my father passed away, and the fact that he was a veteran, I was the person, his oldest son, that got the flag that was presented. And you know, my father didn't lose his life in war, but yet we have those that have lost their life in war, and the significance of honoring them and the flag is a big part of that.
Sliver: Why is maintaining this memorial so important for the community?
Bowling: I think for the local people in Old North Dayton, one, the sacrifices that were made by this portion of the city and this neighborhood, and the loss that happened because of war.
And hopefully, you know, when you think about loss and war, maybe it will give you some incentive to avoid war in the future. You know, and a lot of our young people, I think, feel that way now. I don't think they went through a lot of the things that my generation did, but they sure know how important peace is.
Sliver: So I understand that there's a special flag event connected to the memorial. Can you tell us what's planned?
Bowling: Sunday, June 14th at 2 p.m., and that is Flag Day, we're going to celebrate the rededication of the memorial, because it was renovated by a company called Modern Monument, and they did a great job.
Then we're also going to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the awarding of the Congressional Medal of Honor to Corporal Tony Stein from the Marine Corps. Then we're going to celebrate the flag, the dedication of the flagpole, and the fact that it's flying the flag again. We'll have different groups, including some veteran groups and other groups at the event as well.
This week, I was sent a picture from another volunteer where the flag is actually flying on the pole now, the U.S. flag and Ohio flag. Actually, I was at work and I had to kind of compose myself. I went over there to check that out, and it was pretty awesome to see that.
We grew up doing the pledge in school, my generation, so understanding what the flag means or the different meanings of the flag. They say people defended it, fought for it, so the flag means a lot.
Veterans' Voices is presented by Wright-Patt Credit Union. Additional support comes from the Dayton Ombudsman Veterans Transition Team and Montgomery County Veterans Service Commission. Veterans' Voices is produced at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices.
