Veterans raising funds for new flag pole at Old Glory Memorial in northeast El Paso

EL PASO, Texas -- The El Paso chapter of Flags Across America is asking the community for help in raising funds for a new flag pole at the Old Glory Memorial in northeast El Paso.

The original 180-foot flagpole was installed in 2003 but had to be taken down because of structural problems.

The new pole will also be 180-feet tall and hold the massive 5,000 square foot flag that drew attention from drivers on nearby Highway 54.

The chapter has raised $26,000 of the needed $105,000 to fund the new pole, and they are seeking donations from the public to help them reach their goal.

"One dollar. That’s all I ask," Tony Lewis, president of El Paso's chapter of Flags Across America, said. "Get in there and donate one dollar. If you can donate more, then donate more.”

Paul Albright is the Chief Military Officer for the city. He served 28 years in the military and he knows how important it is to get a new flag pole to fill the centerpiece of the memorial.

"All the sacrifice of the personnel around me. The bricks that are on the floor representing the people’s names, and to not have the flag flying in front of them, it’s painful,” Albright said.

If you would like to help, you are asked to go to their website to make a donation.