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Vol. 80, No. 21 March Air Reserve Base, California Friday, May 29, 2015

NEWS BRIEFS Team March pays respect to fallen

AMERICAN RED by Master Sgt. Megan Crusher
CROSS MOBILE APPS 452 AMW public affairs

The American Red Cross More than 60 people from March Air Reserve Base
offers free mobile apps to
help you and your loved ones placed roughly 1,000 U.S. ﬂags at the graves of all the
be better prepared for and
to respond to emergencies, service members buried at Evergreen Memorial Historic
big and small. To download,
visit redcross.org/apps, test Cemetery in Riverside May 23 to honor those who paid
‘APPS’ to 90999, or search
‘American Red Cross’ in your the ultimate sacriﬁce in defense of this country.
mobile app store.
John Morris, chief, 452nd Air Mobility Wing special
AMERICAN RED
CROSS HELPS YOU security ofﬁce, and his colleague, retired Chief Master

RECONNECT Sgt. Mike Emett, began the tradition of placing ﬂags at
The American Red Cross
offers a free, conﬁdential pro- Evergreen Cemetery for Veteran’s Day 2001 and then
gram to help service members
and their families cope with the again for Memorial Day 2002.
aftermath of deployment when
they are facing readjustment The project has been going strong ever since with
and engagement issues, rede-
ﬁned roles and possibly health Morris at the helm. He calls the project a labor of love
issues. The program includes
one-on-one counseling and and has only missed one year, due to a deployment to
small group sessions on com-
munication, stress and trauma, Iraq in 2006. He’s even used his own funds to purchase
relating to children and anger.
To learn more, visit redcross. ﬂags and has since created a ﬂag fund to ensure there are
org/reconnectionworkshops
or contact the local chapter at always ﬂags available to honor the fallen and remind the
714-481-5327 or matilde.ga-
briela@redcross.org. public of the real meaning of the holiday.

AMERICAN RED “I think we as a nation have forgotten about what Me-
CROSS TRACES
morial Day is all about,” Morris said. “It’s about honoring
FAMILIES
The American Red Cross our fallen warriors who made the ultimate sacriﬁce for
offers free personnel tracing
for families who still do not our country.”
know what happened to their
loved ones from previous wars The volunteers who participated haven’t forgotten the
and the Holocaust. Contact
the local chapter at 714-481- meaning, and many brought signiﬁcant others and chil-
5327 or matilde.gabriela@
redcross.org. dren with them to share the experience of remembering

FREE CAMP FOR military members who died in service to their country.
MILITARY/VETERAN
“I took my daughter to lay ﬂags on the graves of the he-
FAMLIES
Military/Veteran families: roes who died serving our country because I wanted her
Free Family Camp is June
8-12 in Texas. Eligibility re- to know that the day was about more than just having a

See BRIEFS page 5 day off school, barbeques or spending time at the beach,”

said Jennifer Anderson, personnel security specialist, 452

AMW information protection ofﬁce. “It’s a time to honor

those who have defended and preserved our way of life in

the United States of America.” U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Megan Crusher
Maj. Gen. John C. Flournoy, commander, 4th Air
Chief Master Sgt. Brian C. Wong, command chief, 4th Air Force, sa-
Force, and Chief Master Sgt. Brian C. Wong, command lutes the grave of Abraham W. Shuman, Company H215, Pennsylvania
chief, 4th Air Force, attended the event and Flournoy Infantry Volunteer Regiment, who died Aug. 5, 1903. Wong was one
brought his children with him to pay tribute. RIPDQ\ZKRKRQRUHGWKHIDOOHQE\SODFLQJÀDJVRQWKHLUJUDYHVGXULQJ
WKHDQQXDOÀDJSODFHPHQWHYHQWKHOGDW(YHUJUHHQ+LVWRULFDO0HPRULDO
Flournoy said he enjoyed taking his kids to events like

the ﬂag placement because it’s important to expose young Cemetery in Riverside, May 23. More than 60 people attended, includ-

people to the true meaning of Memorial Day. ing Girl Scout Troop 714 and family and friends of service members

Staff Sgt. Brian Caskie, aircrew ﬂight equipment su- from March Field.

pervisor, 912th Air Refueling Squadron, has been an avid

participant for the last several years because he feels re- World War II, Vietnam and Iraq.

membering those who came before he is the right thing to do. After all the flags had been placed and all the volunteers

“It feels good to be here, like I’m doing my part and making had left, Morris could be found roaming the grounds, check-

sure they aren’t forgotten, Caskie said” ing on some of the harder to locate graves to ensure no one

Morris said this year’s turnout was probably the largest yet was overlooked.

and it took a little more than an hour to place all the ﬂags. “You recognize your fellow warriors, you put ﬂags on their

Evergreen is the oldest cemetery in Riverside, and is the ﬁnal graves to honor their service and say thank you,” he said. “And

resting place for troops going as far back as the Civil War. Others I’m hoping someday when I’m gone someone does the same

buried there fought in the Spanish-American War, World War I, for me.”

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