Flag donations remain close to the heart of Vietnam veteran
If you go
What: Milton Fourth of July Parade
When: 1 p.m. today
Where: Along Madison Avenue (Highway 59) in Milton
Photo
Former Marine and Vietnam veteran Mike Jones stands among his collection of flags on his 'Glory Wagon,' a parade float on which all veterans of all wars are invited to ride. Jones spearheads an effort to buy and hand out thousands of small flags during the Fourth of July parade in Milton each year.
MILTON — Mike Jones's mission is straightforward: The local military veteran raises donations to buy as many miniature American flags as possible.
Then, he gathers as many local veterans as he can to distribute the flags to young spectators at Milton's annual Fourth of July parade.
Why?
"For a kid, getting a flag on the Fourth of July is like sitting on Santa Claus's lap," Jones says. "It's like Christmas in the summer."
He might be sentimental, but Jones is a tough old Marine. He wears his hair in a classic crew cut. He takes his coffee black. He drops words like "commie" into casual conversation.
From 1966 to 1969, Jones served two tours of duty in the Vietnam War as a sergeant in the Marine Corps. He doesn't like talking about his time in Vietnam.
In fact, for Jones, it's a labor to speak at all.
Jones has compromised vocal ability, a result of throat cancer he developed 10 years ago from exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant used to strip the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.
When he speaks, Jones puts his hand under a cloth wrapped around his neck, which covers part of his throat that was surgically altered during cancer treatments. Jones's voice croaks and rattles, but his blue eyes cast as sharp as bayonets as he explains the task that is his annual flag drive.
"After 10 years surviving different bouts with this cancer, a little challenge to get a few flag donations don't mean s—- to me," Jones says.
He's downplaying the challenge. In the last three years, Jones has raised enough in donations for 10,000 flags. This year, he's raised pledges for 4,500 more.
The work takes collaboration between Jones and a network of local sponsors who help him with the effort. Then there's the distribution. For that, Jones must raise a crew of about 30 local veterans to hand out the flags at Milton's July Fourth parade.
"Every year, that gets easier," Jones says "I just use the success of the year before as ammunition for the next year."
At the parade, veterans who help with the flag distribution ride on Jones's "Glory Wagon," a parade float festooned with dozens of full-size American flags.
In the past, veterans riding the Glory Wagon have passed out flags during the parade. This year, Jones says, they'll hand out the flags beforehand to prevent delays in the parade.
Veterans from all eras are welcome to ride on the Glory Wagon. All they have to do is meet at 12:15 p.m. Sunday at Milton High School. No uniforms are required.
"It's as casual as you want to make it. That makes it easy," Jones says.
Each year more and more people get involved in his flag effort, Jones says, because it's a simple way for veterans to show pride and honor in having served their country.
Touching his hand to his throat, Jones says he won't waste words describing what it's like to hand a child an American flag.
"You'd have to march along once and do it to understand," he says.
