Recently we received a great submission for our Virtual Wall of Honor that we thought we’d share with everyone her on the blog. We’re always proud to pay tribute to our Military friends and family members and no better way to do than to share their story with the world. This is a great read because it explains the sacrifice one of our proud Veterans made to serve this great country and give up a life that could have been to be a truly brave soldier.
From Shannon Abbott-Henige…
Your request for military stories gave me a bitter sweet feeling when first reading it. I am the proud daughter of a WWII veteran of the United States Army. The bitter part is that my father passed away 2 ½ years ago after losing his battle with primary liver cancer. I’d like to share his story because my father is one of those classic examples as to why we call them the “Greatest Generation.” Some years back, I read Tom Brokaw’s book titled this and my father’s story would have fit in well with the others honored in the memoir.
Edward Abbott
Edward Joseph Abbott (1918-2007) was the second born into a family of 10 children. After the years of stories that were told, I’ve come to the conclusion that he was one of the leaders of the neighborhood mayhem that occurred on a regular basis as he grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. He was the oldest of the boys which were all blessed to be athletic. This gave them the ability to outrun their victims on a regular basis, whether it was a neighbor they had stolen apples from or other kids who had fallen victim to a prank. Their athleticism led to 3 of them playing baseball on a team together in Freeland, MI in the Tri-Valley League. My dad was the pitcher and was good enough to begin playing AAA ball in Findlay, OH in the late 1930’s. Headlines in the Republican Courier during the 1939-1941 seasons included “Abbott Chalks No. 5” or “Abbott’s Hurling.”
Edward Abbott
After gaining experience at this level of play my dad had become a phenomenal pitcher and was about to be moved to the majors. He would have been playing for the Detroit Tigers if God hadn’t had another plan for him. In May of 1941 my dad was drafted into the United States Army to serve his country during WWII. Just as most people remember where they were during important historical events, my dad would always tell the story of being on KP duty when Pearl Harbor was bombed. This event led to his being overseas for 3 full years of his 4+ years of service. When he was honorably discharged in August of 1945 he returned home to his family who had grown by 3 more siblings who he’d never met. Those siblings, who he once knew well, did not remember him. It was rare to see my dad emotional when telling any war stories but when recalling the moments of returning home, one thing always choked him up; the memory of his mother standing at the kitchen sink peeling potatoes for potato pancakes and her screams of elation when he threw that knapsack onto the middle of the kitchen floor to get her attention. He had returned home safely and could now get back to his life, so you would think. Now 28 years old and over 4 years away from the game my father’s pitching career in major league baseball was no more. And that was that. I think the older I get the more it bothers me to think about the “what ifs” and the sacrifice that he had been forced to make. But that is the amazing thing about my dad. He was so proud to have served his country along side of the other greats of his generation. He never once complained about his lost opportunity to be another famous player of his time.
We buried my father in December of 2007 with full military honors. Sitting in a safe in our home is one flag and 21 shells passed down to me from my mother.
Posted by Lexi the Vexillologist 
Submitted by: Joseph N. D’Amico
“We had a special celebration for our school Veterans. They were honored at our senior coffee, which there were 286 people attending. This display was and still is hanging in our lobby. The veterans were truly touched by the display. They commented all day about how beautiful the 
“These are 
Submitted By: David Brong
“Recently the Kingman Police Department held a flag raising ceremony here at the department. Attached you will find pictures of that event. The two outside poles started as light poles that were donated to us by our local utility company. The department purchased all of our needs to turn them into 
“During our Missions Conference at our church, we display the 
Submitted By: Deidre Bourdon, 
“This is an article that appeared in our local newspaper Sunday. We appreciate everyone’s hard work and patience. We are very proud of the end result.”
“It shows our pole, light, American flag and our 50th anniversary flag all purchased from your company. We dedicated the flag to all our employees past and present who have served our country. “
” The flags were hung in 2002 to honor the servicemen and women of each of the 
“Here is one of your 
Submitted by: Michael Hays, Mannington Middle School
Submitted By: Bruce Beaton, 
“We use your flags at all of our library branches. We like them much! and love you!!”
