GILROY
– By next year’s Veterans Day, an American flag should be flying
from a 60-foot pole on the Ranch-side section of Christmas Hill
Park.
The immense flagpole and four 25-foot flag poles circling it
will honor those who served their country in the armed forces, said
Wayne Cegelske, chaplain for the local post of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars.
GILROY – By next year’s Veterans Day, an American flag should be flying from a 60-foot pole on the Ranch-side section of Christmas Hill Park.
The immense flagpole and four 25-foot flag poles circling it will honor those who served their country in the armed forces, said Wayne Cegelske, chaplain for the local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“With a 60-foot pole, you can see the American flag from quite a distance,” he said. “We, the veterans, wanted something that would recognize the veteran’s service.”
Cegelske thought up the idea four years ago and suggested it to his veteran comrades, Tony Adame, Joe Gonzalez, Dave Rodriguez and Paul Cottle. They considered various ideas of where to put the flagpole including the southern entrance to Gilroy, downtown, and on First Street.
Someone suggested Christmas Hill Park, and the veterans thought it was a good idea because it would get a lot of exposure with the Garlic Festival and other events taking place at the site, Cegelske said.
“We wanted it where we can get a lot of exposure,” he said.
Plans for the flagpole evolved to include four shorter poles that would fly the California State flag as well as flags honoring the Veterans of Foreign War, the American Legion and those men and women who were prisoners of war or missing in action. A pedestal also was included in the developing plan, and will include decals from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines, Cegelske said.
The pedestal will include a placard reading: “Dedicated to all veterans, those who have served, those who are serving, and those who will serve.”
The original cost for the project was estimated at $25,000, and the veterans have raised this amount. But with inflation, Cegelske estimates the project requires another $10,000 to get it finished. Steve and Jan Peat, the owners of the Gilroy McDonald’s Restaurant, donated one of the 25-foot poles, he said. An architect is now designing the plan and will have a final estimated cost by the end of November, he said.
Construction will start at an undetermined date next year, and Cegelske hopes it will be done by Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day at the latest. Veterans also will be collecting donations for the Gilroy Veterans Flag pole Fund at the Veterans Day ceremony Monday.
Cegelske said if local residents have old, tattered American flags that need to be disposed of, they should bring them to the Veteran’s Hall and leave them in the lobby. The veterans will then dispose of them in a respectful manner, he said.
