New source Glen Tomlinson stood just makai of the intersection of Ward Avenue and Kapiolani Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. yesterday waving a fistful of mini-American flags at passersby.
of flags stokes
Hawaii patriotism
By Diana Leone
dleone@starbulletin.comMany pulled over to the curb and gladly gave the suggested donation of $2 a flag when they learned that the money is going to Hawaii families who lost someone in last week's terrorist attacks.
One man bicycling by peeled off five ones and took a flag. Cars exiting the Jack-In-The-Box Restaurant paused to get one, two or more flags.
"It's a family affair," Tomlinson said, pointing to his son and daughter, who also stood along Ward Avenue with flags at the ready. And it's close to home.
One of Tomlinson's three employees at his Home of the Brave military tours company, accountant Carol Hale, lost her daughter Maile. The Boston finance executive, and Kaiser High School's 1993 valedictorian, was attending a conference at the World Trade Center when it was attacked.
"Carol called me Wednesday and asked me how our business was going to make it," Tomlinson said, since Home of the Brave's tours require access to military bases and the USS Arizona Memorial, all of which are off limits to civilians until further notice. "I said that I was more concerned about the families who lost someone. She said, 'Well, that's why I'm calling,'" Tomlinson said, choking back tears.He decided to sell 5,000 flags he had on hand for the 60th anniversary of Pearl Harbor in December and donate the proceeds to help the Hales and other Hawaii families of victims.
The Tomlinsons handed out about 1,100 flags yesterday and they've got 3,900 more. They plan to be at the same location from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. They ask that people who want to buy flags pull off Ward Avenue into the parking lot just makai of the Jack-in-the-Box restaurant or onto Waimanu Street, which runs parallel to Kapiolani, to avoid traffic problems on Ward.To reach Tomlinson about buying mini American flags in bulk or about contributing to his fund for local families, call 396-8112 or visit Home of the Brave at 909 Waimanu St.
Meanwhile, Oahu residents searching for full-size American flags found them yesterday on the sidewalk of the Mililani Wal-Mart store.
Staff from the USS Missouri giftshop were selling to eager buyers, who stood in line at least 30 minutes to choose among three sizes of cotton or nylon flags.
Debbie Hein's daughter called 30 stores before she found out about the sidewalk sale. "Her Daddy is on his way (to a deployment in a Navy submarine) now," Hein said.
Cathy Close of Kaneohe "drove by and saw the line and I knew there couldn't be anything else today that would make a line like this."
Sales associate Ivan Hung said the non-profit museum had 632 American flags in stock Friday when it decided to sell them at the Wal-Mart and the Aloha Stadium flea market. The museum is closed until further notice, because of increased military security.
Hung said they'd be selling flags and USS Missouri caps today as long as supplies hold out.
