In honor of Flag Day this year, I want to post something different.
There are five Federal Service Academies in the United States. Most everyone knows of the US Naval Academy (Annapolis) and the US Military Academy (West Point), and some are familiar with US Air Force Academy and the US Coast Guard Academy. However, “America’s best kept secret” is the US Merchant Marine Academy located in Kings Point, NY. This school is dedicated to training the maritime industry leaders of tomorrow, as well as providing highly trained individuals to all branches of the US Military and intermodal systems around our nation.
One of the trademark icons of the Academy is their 176 foot tall unguided flag pole that towers over the campus. This flag pole is capped with an eagle with its wings outstretched, and is strong enough to fly the nations largest official flag. Unfortunately, this icon took a critical blow last fall when a contractor working on the Academy grounds ran into the flag pole, making the flagpole unsafe. The end result was that the flag pole had to be taken down.
Today – Flag Day – the repaired flag pole was delivered to the Academy in pieces to be assembled on site. I find this to be a very touching gesture. My hope is that the flag pole stands tall for at least another 70 years before it has to be taken down again for repairs.
Below you will find some images of the flag pole during the assembly process. I will update the images as more are posted by the Academy.
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