Marines help Korean War vet raise flag

By Cpl. Nicole A. Lavine
Special to the Hi-Desert Star
Published: Wednesday, April 1, 2009 12:07 AM CDT

JOSHUA TREE — Korean War veteran and Navy Cross recipient Richard Blasongame raised his American flag on a sturdy new pole Wednesday thanks to help from the United States Marines and some clandestine calls by a fellow veteran.

Blasongame, who was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism in combat while serving with the Marine Corps’ 2nd Battalion, First Marine Division in 1951, is a proud veteran who has flown an American flag over his home for years.

“I’ve always flown a flag outside my house,” said Blasongame, who has lived in Joshua Tree since 2003. “I think it’s very important to do that.”

Because his flag pole was so close to his house, the rope that held the flags aloft frequently was worn down from rubbing against the shingles. Blasongame was not fit to repair the ropes every time they frayed and out of distress, he finally had his flag pole cut down completely.

It just so happened that Bob Halle, a fellow Marine who had fought alongside Blasongame that fateful day his actions earned him his Navy Cross, was visiting.

Halle secretly made a few phone calls and eventually got in touch with Marines of the 3rd Combat Engineer Battalion, who said they’d be glad to volunteer their time and effort in repairing Blasongame’s flag pole.

“He did his part in serving his country,” said Lance Cpl. Chris Nichols. “If I was a veteran, I’d appreciate having young Marines come out and recognize the service and sacrifices that we made.”

Nichols said although the Morongo Basin community may see convoys roll by, it is not enough for the community members to fell like they knew these young men and women.

“For a lot of people, the Marine Corps is just this foreign entity,” Nichols said. “The only things they may know about us are the things they hear on the news. The media is quick to focus on the negativity, but they rarely show the positive stuff like this.

Sgt. Rolando Delacruz agreed.

“We are more than just warfighters,” said Delacruz, who joined Nichols, Sgt. Jeff Newton on the project.

“It would be nice for people to put faces with us,” Delacruz said. “We can help our community bridge some of those gaps that are there.”

As the Marines dug a hole for the post, mixed cement, made measurements and assembled the flag pole, Blasongame, Halle and their wives stood outside to watch the progress.

“I’m really proud of these good Marines,” Blasongame said as he sat in a folding chair nearby. “I think this is really an incredible thing they are doing for me.”

His friend recalled how Blasongame looked after an injured Halle in combat Sept. 16, 1951.

“He really helped take care of me,” Halle said about his early friendship with Blasongame.

Opal, Blasongame’s wife, expressed her thanks to the Marines, Halle and Halle’s wife, Nancy.

“This is overwhelming,” Opal said as she stood on her front walkway, smiling at her husband raising the new flag over their roof.

Newton said he and the other Marines felt honored to make a gesture of gratitude to a veteran.

“I’m all about this,” said Newton. “This is a great situation and I’d like to think that if I was a veteran who needed help, I could count on getting it from the same group of people I served with.”

The two veterans, their wives and the young men enjoyed a lunch together before departing ways, but not before Delacruz offered to take on more of Blasongame’s home projects free of charge in the future.

“We’re just here to help out a fellow brother,” Delacruz said. “Not only is this man a fellow Marine, he is someone who went far above and beyond his duties to help his Marines. This is something we can do for him and give back even though we are two totally different generations.”

Ellie