Veterans unveil newly painted flag drop box

"Now we can be proud of it," Howard Schuettpelz said referring to the refurbished drop box near the veterans memorial downtown.

Members of the Wood-Hall Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8109 expressed delight and excitement about the box painted by Purvis Cope of Summit Truck Group.

Tattered flags may be placed in the drop box to be collected by members of the VFW for appropriate retirement.

"So they can be retired properly," Braxton Hurst, VFW commander, said. "And we collect them and once or twice a year we'll have a flag burning ceremony."

"It was so full one time, we couldn't open it," Schuettpelz said.

"That's all airbrushed," Cope said, adding that he volunteered his time and Summit Truck Group donated the materials.

"It was sun faded. Stickers were on it. It was painted black," Hurst said. "Purvis took his creativity. This is better than anything we could have sketched or asked for!"

Veterans gathering for the unveiling Friday were Hurst, Schuettpelz, Jerry Burton, John Vincent, Terry Thurman, George Kuhnert and John Ruddick.

Purvis Cope, who refurbished and painted the flag drop box for the Wood-Hall Veterans of Foreign Wars, placed a tattered flag in the box Friday, just after it was unveiled.

Veteran John Vincent affixes the flag drop box to bolts in the concrete in front of the Veterans Memorial downtown Friday.

Veterans Jerry Burton, Terry Thurman and Braxton Hurst visit while fellow veteran John Vincent affixes the flag drop box to bolts in the concrete in front of the Veterans Memorial downtown Friday.

TIMES photograph by Annette Beard Veterans and members of the Pea Ridge Wood-Hall Veterans of Foreign Wars show off the new flag drop box painted and refurbished by Purvis Cope of Sumit Truck Group. Veterans with Cope, second from left, include Braxton Hurst, John Ruddick, Terry Thurman, Jerry Burton, George Kuhnert, Howard Schuettpelz and John Vincent.