The public is invited to join Mayor Tim Kelly at 1 p.m. on June 14 at the Sculpture Garden next to Veterans Bridge for a flag raising ceremony in honor of our fallen heroes.
Twice yearly, family and friends of current service members and fallen veterans donate flags to Veteran’s Bridge to honor those individuals. The Flag Raising Ceremony celebrates the flag honorees with a proclamation from the mayor highlighting the military, professional, and personal accolades of each honored veteran.
The ceremony also continues to recognize the five flags that fly permanently to commemorate the Fallen Five service members who were killed on July 16, 2015.
The ceremony will feature Chattanooga Fire Department Chief Phil Hyman, Captain Mickey McCamish (US Navy Retired, Vietnam War Veteran), Linda Moss Mines (City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County Historian), and Captain Mark Smeltzer (Chattanooga Police Department, US Army Veteran), Mayor Tim Kelly and retired Master Sergeant Shaun Corker. Honored veterans, first responders and city officials, along with their families and friends, are also expected to attend.
The Flag Raising Ceremony originated in 2014 to ensure those who served the country would continue to be honored through American Flags that fly on Veteran’s Bridge. The ceremony traditionally takes place twice a year, around Armed Forces Day in May and again around Veterans Day in September. On Veterans Day of 2015, the city of Chattanooga raised five permanent flags in memory of the Fallen Five servicemen. This year, the ceremony takes place on National Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States