The District 5340 Military Coordinating Committee (DMCC) is very proud to have coordinated the first annual Operation Flags for Vets (OFFV) on Memorial Day weekend, 2024. This first of its kind effort rallied 400 volunteers from over 25 clubs from across the district as well as volunteers from other organizations on May 25 to place small American flags at every gravesite at Miramar National Cemetery. After the weekend volunteers again came together to remove the flags and place them in storage for next year.
Rotarian Rick Clark from the La Jolla Golden Triangle club was the inspiration for OFFV. A Navy Seabee and Vietnam veteran, Rick brought this project to the DMCC and asked for support. The barriers were formidable, but Rick persisted in bringing it to fruition. He worked closely with the administration of the Miramar National Cemetery and received the full support of our District Governor, Don Fipps. He searched for and found an American manufacturer of flags and authored a district grant to purchase 17,000 small flags. We wanted this to be an annual event so Jim Frost, another La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotarian volunteered space in his warehouse at Frost Lumber to store the flags and Rob Cenko from the Pt Loma Rotary Club asked his company, Northwestern Healthcare Solutions to sponsor purchase of storage bins. The entire DMCC contributed in various ways to include leading a group of section leaders, assigning the volunteers to sections, arranging for water at the sight, and promoting the event to local media.
The DMCC wishes to thank all District 5340 Rotarians who gave generously of their time to both place the flags at gravesites and remove them after the weekend. You can be justly proud of your dedication and participation in this event. The feedback we received was universally positive and we believe we have started a tradition that will continue into the future.
To watch news coverage of the event, click here.
Gratefully,
Mike Fuqua, Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo, Co-Chairman
Jim Mendelson, Fallbrook Rotary Club, Co-Chairman
Rick Clark, La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club
Rob Cenko, Pt Loma Rotary Club
Randy Large, La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Club
Bob Rutherford, Coronado Rotary Club
Virginia Bayer, Coronado Rotary Club
Marty Peters, Rotary Club of Del Mar
Don Fipps, Rotary Club of Del Mar
Jim Mendelson, Fallbrook Rotary Club, Co-Chairman
Rick Clark, La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club
Rob Cenko, Pt Loma Rotary Club
Randy Large, La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Club
Bob Rutherford, Coronado Rotary Club
Virginia Bayer, Coronado Rotary Club
Marty Peters, Rotary Club of Del Mar
Don Fipps, Rotary Club of Del Mar