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8 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | JANUARY 2019 | By Anita Lawrence Preparations began on Oct. 16 to install a more permanent flagpole atop Crystal Peak just south of Sun Lakes Country Club. Kelly Curtis, Carl Miller, Dave Miller, Tracy Logan, Alan Lott and Doug Winicki armed with shovels, a crowbar and a posthole digger, climbed to the summit of Crystal Peak to prep the site for the new pole. After several hours of labor, chipping through rocks and hard clay, the new site for the sturdier flagpole was ready. On Nov. 8, a group of Sun Lakes' residents that included Sandi Miller, Curt Kiel, and Bob and Michele Walter joined Curtis, Carl and Dave Miller, Logan, Lott, and Winicki in carrying the necessary supplies and equipment to the top of Crystal Peak for the installation of the new pole and flag. Amy- Rae Contreras, whose mother lives in Sun Lakes and a former co-worker of Curtis's at March Air Reserve Base, also joined the work crew and donated the funds for the flood light to illuminate the flag at night. Logan hefted the 50-pound bag of cement while others in the group transported water, a ladder, the pole, chains and other equipment to the top of Crystal Peak on one of the windiest days of the year. After setting and cementing the base pole it took a group effort to install the top portion of the pole into the sturdy nine- foot ground pole. The high winds were punishing and often gusting to nearly 40 miles per hour which made the job even harder than anticipated. The crew held onto the five-foot ladder as well as to Lott and Curtis as they balanced on the top rung where they struggled fiercely until there was a lull in the wind which enabled them to align the top segment of the pole, holding the anonymously donated five- by-eight foot flag wrapped around it, to secure it to the base pole. Curtis then added the finishing touch to the project by attaching the donated solar-powered flood light to the impressive 16-foot flagpole, achieving their mission of erecting a new flagpole to fly the stars and stripes. A number of people asked Curtis later, "Why did you put up the new pole and flag on such a windy day?" In response, Curtis explained that the date had to be coordinated well in advance in order to put together a large enough, able-bodied work crew to carry all of the necessary materials to the top of the mountain. As Nov. 8 approached, Curtis and Carl Miller saw the forecast for higher winds and while they were somewhat concerned they didn't expect the winds to be as bad as they were or as problematic as they turned out to be. The driving force for Curtis and Miller was that they wanted the new pole and larger flag flying above the community for Veterans Day on Nov. 11. The new flag and pole are now much more visible from within Sun Lakes and can also be seen from Interstate 10. The patriotism and dedication of these Sun Lakes' veterans and volunteers to keep this symbol of the United States flying above our community is just one of the many things that makes Sun Lakes such a wonderful place to live. Mission Accomplished: Veterans and Residents Erect a New Flagpole and Flag atop Crystal Peak Logan hefted the 50-pound bag of cement while others in the group transported water, a ladder, the pole, chains and other equipment to the top of Crystal Peak on one of the windiest days of the year.

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