Rotary honors veterans with Flags for Heroes

The Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary’s Flags for Heroes display along Kings Highway includes more than 500 U.S. flags, each with a medallion named in honor of veterans and other community heroes. The club honored those heroes with a Veterans Day ceremony. RON MACARTHUR PHOTO

Ron MacArthur

November 14, 2023

The Lewes-Rehoboth Rotary club had its annual Flags for Heroes ceremony on Veterans Day Nov. 11, with more than 500 U.S. flags waving in the breeze behind the speaker’s podium.

Rotarian Pete Booker, serving as emcee, told the crowd gathered along Kings Highway that the program honors all community heroes, including veterans, educators, healthcare workers and first responders. Representing that group were U.S. Army Col. Edward Dowgin, coordinator of the Cape High School JRTOC program; Beebe Healthcare CEO and President Dr. David Tam; featured speaker U.S. Army Lt. Col. Marques Bruce; and former Lewes Mayor Ted Becker, an Army veteran.

The Cape Henlopen High School Wind Ensemble and Cape Chorale provided patriotic music for the event, and the JROTC Color Guard presented the flags.

Invited guests included Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes; Sussex County Councilman Mark Schaeffer; Lewes Mayor Andrew Williams; Becker, representing the Delaware River & Bay Authority and Lewes Chamber of Commerce; and Lewes Police Chief Thomas Spell.

The Rev. Jeffery Ross of St. Peter’s Church offered the invocation.

Vietnam War veteran Robert Burress of Rockville, Md., looks at names placed on each flag.

Gerald Ritzingler, a U.S. Air Force veteran from Georgetown who served in Vietnam, finds the flag his wife, Elaine, sponsored for his service to the country.

Beebe Healthcare CEO and President Dr. David Tam places a flag in honor of healthcare heroes. He served in the U.S. Navy for more than 20 years.

Austin Colter, dressed in red white and blue, searches for his grandfather’s flag.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Marques Bruce is the featured speaker during the Flags for Heroes salute to veterans. His entire family, including grandparents and his wife and three daughters, attended the event.

Rotarian Pete Booker, master of ceremonies, welcomes special guests.

Sen. Russ Huxtable, D-Lewes, said he appreciates the sacrifices made by military families because in his family, his father and two uncles served in the armed forces.

Sussex County Councilman Mark Schaeffer of Lewes speaks during the ceremony.

Beebe Healthcare CEO and President Dr. David Tam introduces the featured speaker.

Rotarian Bill Huntley, a U.S. Air Force veteran, has a flag ready during a ceremony to honor the community’s heroes.

Col. Edward Dowgin, coordinator of the Cape High JROTC program, places a flag in honor of veterans.

Flag bearers representing heroes are (l-r) Col. Edward Dowgin, Lt. Col. Marques Bruce, Beebe Healthcare CEO and President Dr. David Tam, and Ted Becker.

Members of the Cape High School JROTC Color Guard are (l-r) Annemarie Arevalo-Rodriguez, Todd Warwick, Lucas Santini and Gianna Decker.

Following the ceremony, attendees walk amid the Flags for Heroes along Kings Highway.

The Cape Henlopen High School Cape Chorale sings “America the Beautiful.”

The Cape Henlopen High School Wind Ensemble provides background music for the Cape Chorale.

Rotary honors veterans with Flags for Heroes

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