Exchanging Very Special American Flags

[Keith Outten]

Let me explain.

A month ago we received a package from the Soldiers of Task Force Thor, 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3D BCT, 1st Infantry Division. The package contained a framed certificate that identified the full sized American Flag that was included as having been flown over FOB Fenty, Jalalabad, Afghanistan on the second day of November 2008.

There was also a very nice letter from the Commanding Officer thanking us for sending Freedom Pens to our Service Members and explaining how much our gifts meant to those who received them.

I must admit that I was touched by the fact that these people who are in a combat zone with very serious issues that they must deal with every minute of every day would even consider sending us such a gift. Consider that very few Americans receive an American Flag that was flown in a combat zone, the gift starts to take on new meaning.

I just had to respond.

I had an idea that the only gift that would be suitable would be one of equal value. I visited the National Park Service Office at Yorktown Battlefield and explained the situation and asked if they would fly an American Flag over the Battlefields for the Soldiers of Task Force Thor. This would be a gift they would never expect to receive, but one that they would cherish considering its significance to any soldier who has ever served, the site where American independence was won.

On December 22nd, 2008 our 5 by 9.5 foot National Ensign was flown over the historic Yorktown Battlefield, raised in honor of those who are serving Task Force Thor and all those who have served the American people and our way of life. Our flag was delivered to me with a letter documenting the date and certifying our Flag.

As soon as I can finish building a very special flag box suitable for such a flag it will be mailed and delivered to a group of very special American Patriots who continue to sacrifice on our behalf and who have made us proud. Pictures of both flags will be provided very soon.

Thanks to the United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service at Yorktown Battlefield Virginia for making this very special gift possible.
Thanks to every Freedom pen turner, those who provide supplies and have supported us financially so we could deliver over 90,000 Freedom pens to some very special people.
Thanks to every American Veteran for your service and sacrifice defending our way of life, you know the true meaning of the word Honor and what this flag really represents.

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[Joe Chritz]

Salute!

I have no doubt that those who "put it out" every day will understand and cherish such an honor.

Very nice.

Joe

[Bobby McCarley]

Keith, I want to thank you for taking the effort to find the perfect in kind response to the generous gift you recieved from the Soldiers of Task Force Thor. I also want to express my thanks to the National Park Service for their efforts.

I also want to express my continued support for our service men and women who are doing whatever is needed to ensure that we as a nation continue to enjoy the freedoms that we hold dear. Godspeed to all service men and women and we pray for your safe return home to your family, friends, and loved ones.

God Bless
Bobby McCarley
Louisiana

[Scott Shepherd]

Wonderful story Keith, thanks for taking the time to tell us the story and thanks for caring about the troops enough to take the time and effort to do everything you have done and continue to do.

[mike holden]

Keith,
Thank you and god bless!
Mike

[Jim Ciesla]

Very nice Keith. Those guys & gals aren't remembered enough as far as I'm concerned.

[Belinda Barfield]

Great story Keith. Thank you for sharing, and for all your efforts to bring this to fruition.

[Keith Outten]

Thanks everyone,

I'm still working on this one, trying to get a 3D eagle graphic ready to machine on the front of the flag box. I just received the necessary router bits yesterday from Centurian Tools so i hope to get the hard part of the job (3D work) done this weekend.

I have decided that cherry is the best choice for the wood with engraved acrylic for the window material.
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[Bert Kemp]

So I'm curious , I see mention here on a 5 year old thread about flags and pictures but the thread seemed to have just died. Were the Photos ever posted?
I'm not a pen turner but I am a Veteran and would like to help in some way. I see the list for this years pens 2014 so its an on going thing, what do no pen turners do to help? Please pm me as I might forget were this topic was LOL u know CRS

[Keith Outten]

Bert,

Sorry, in my haste I didn't take any pictures. During that period of time I was knee deep in work at CNU plus my sign shop got real busy on top of my daily tasks here at The Creek.

The Freedom Pens Project is still active and we are shipping pens to the Middle East as best we can. Requests for pens by far exceed our ability to produce pens as the number of pen turners has decreased over the years. Even so we did have a pretty good year in 2013 adding to the grand total of over 165,000 pens shipped based on a very dedicated group of pen turners who just won't quit.

I recently turned a group of Corian pens for the Christmas shipment and have another large group of pens ready to ship so I have been more active since I retired from CNU. I hope to be able to keep turning pens through the end of this year which will probably be the end of the Freedom Pens Project when the President brings our Troops home from Afganistan. My wife Jackie and I have been the hub for the project for ten years, Jackie has been taking care of all the shipping, counting and keeping the list of turners updated. We would like to see the Freedom Pens Project evolve into a program to provide pens for our wounded warriors but that would be up to someone else to pick up the baton and run with it and I hope that happens.

If you want to get involved we sure can use your help, there are still a couple hundred thousand Servicemen and Women who still have not received a Freedom Pen.
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