ABC-7 Listens: Flags still flying over Old Glory Memorial

ABC-7 received an email from a viewer asking why the flags at Old Glory Memorial in northeast El Paso were taken down.

The email reads: “I went to show some ‘out-of-towners’ the flag memorial show piece we have in northeast. Well, they’ve added an ugly building, foundation for another and all the flags are gone. What’s going on? The feeling or reverence for the area is gone.”

ABC-7 visited the Old Glory Memorial on Tuesday. While the flags are still flying, the president of Flags Across America and creator of the memorial understands how there may be some confusion.

Jimmy Melver says on special occasions, you’ll see over 50 flags circling the site. But on any other day of the week, only the American flag and the flags atop the World War II Memorial fly.

Melver said they can’t keep all the flags up because they damage easily in the wind and are costly to replace.

“This flag that I’m currently flying right now is a $700 flag,” Melver said.

Melver said there are a couple of a new additions to the memorial, such as the building many see off the road. He said its purpose is to store all of the smaller flags used during celebrations and all of the equipment used to maintain the property.

Another new addition, the construction for a $60,000 Vietnam memorial honoring veterans in El Paso County.

Despite the changes, Melver encourages people to stop by and take a look at the memorial for themselves.

“I love the flag for what it stands for, the freedom we enjoy every day here in El Paso,” he said.

Melver said all of the flags and monuments are made possible solely by donations. The Vietnam memorial is expected to dedicated on March 26.