Jeffrey Unger is using his community service project for the Legion’s USA 250 Challenge to create a community of red, white and blue.
Jeffrey Unger is ensuring every home in his subdivision in Panama City, Fla., is flying the American flag. His goal was to display 250 flags as part of his community service project for The American Legion’s USA 250 Challenge that celebrates the nation’s semiquincentennial birthday July 4. Currently, 437 homes in the Latitude Margaritaville Watersound community are flying Old Glory. And Unger isn’t stopping.
“As a veteran who raised his right hand to wear the cloth of this nation and defend the Constitution and everything it stands for, this means everything to me,” said Unger, who moved to Florida with his wife Shauna three years ago from DeForest, Wis., where he retains a membership at American Legion Post 348. “I felt (participating in the USA 250 Challenge) was an outstanding way I could continue to support my post and the organization as we celebrate this historic milestone in our nation’s history. One person can make a difference.”
The idea of displaying 250 flags from homes came to Unger as he reflected upon his more than 21 years of service in the U.S. Air Force.
“To me that flag is a badge of honor,” Unger said. “There is no better symbol of our country’s values and traditions than that of the flag of the United States of America. I felt it was a great way to show patriotism and an understanding that regardless of one’s beliefs/affiliations, we have been, for 250 years, and continue to be American’s first. Show it proudly.”
As tour buses filled with prospective residents drive through the Latitude Margaritaville Watersound community, and “I am told our flag display program has been identified as a highlight of the ride on more than one occasion,” Unger added. “So now the drivers tell me they pass by ‘Villa Row’ where every single home has the red, white and blue flying every day.”
New homeowners in Latitude Margaritaville Watersound receive word of Unger’s community service flag project through sales reps, but to extend the message to current homeowners, Unger posted messages on the property’s social media channels. And the result was immediate.
“My computer blew up with responses,” Unger exclaimed. “I was busy for about six weeks getting it off the ground. Additional veterans across the property have pitched in and helped their immediate neighbors get onboard. The idea is contagious and continues to grow day by day.
“My heart goes pitter patter every time a fellow veteran shakes my hand to thank me, or another neighbor reaches out with a hug to show their gratitude for the flags.”
Unger helps purchase, install, maintain and retire the flags in his community when necessary. And to keep the flag project ongoing, he has submitted a formal request to the property developer for property management or the homeowner’s association to issue a six-foot standard flag kit to every homeowner on move in day.
“I feel the flag is an important reminder that we are all one body as a nation and people,” he said. “The fabric of this national symbol is a clear demonstration that we share one national standard. What better place to show this than from your most important investment, something that you are most proud of, your home.”
- USA250 Challenge