Flags taken down after local man’s deployment ends

By Lynsi Musselman

When Frank Dawson was preparing to leave Albany last October for Kabul, Afghanistan, his neighbors Shirley and Red Alexander came up with the idea of putting up a flag display to honor him and his service.

Dawson, a Senior Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force, moved with his family to Albany a few years ago and commuted to Dyess Air Force Base. This was his fifth deployment.

In appreciation of his military service, the Alexanders decided that they would fly the American, Air Force, Texas, and Albany Lions flags from the day he left until he came home.

Shirley Alexander explained that she told Dawson in October 2019 that she would not take down the display and would instead wait for him to get home and remove the flags.

“The night before he left for Afghanistan I decorated the display for fall and told Frank that I would change the decorations with the seasons,” Alexander said. “I sent him a picture of the display each time I changed out the decor.”

Alexander noted that she feels like it is important to honor all servicemen and show them appreciation for their sacrifice, as well as their families’ sacrifices.

Alexander said she puts up a lighted cross every year in memory of Johnny Heatly as part of her Christmas display from Nov. 1 to January 1.

“After Lynda Heatly told me that Johnny was a veteran of Desert Storm, I decided to combine the two displays and keep the cross up until Frank came home,” Alexander added. 

She said the display was meant to be a symbol of hope and peace, especially with the pandemic going on.

Dawson arrived home in Albany on Thursday, Sept. 17 after 11 months overseas.

Dawson said that the Alexanders’ display and messages helped remind him that there was community support, and back home, people in Albany were rooting for him.

“I received a message from Mayor Susan Montgomery and a birthday message from the football team,” Dawson reported. “Those messages meant a lot.”

Dawson, his wife Melissa and son Bryson were neighbors of the Alexanders in the Rose Addition neighborhood when they first came to Albany.

“When they moved in, we sort of adopt-ed them,” Alexander commented.

Dawson said that before he was deployed, he and his family started the process of building a new house in Weaver Heights, and his wife and son moved in February.

“The two biggest changes while I was gone are that my son grew, and I came home to a new house,” Dawson explained.

Alexander said she is glad to have him home.

“I was starting to run out of ideas to boost his morale,” Alexander added.

On Friday morning, Sept. 18, Dawson went to the Alexanders’ house and took down the flag display. 

Alexander commented she had to replace a few of the flags over the last 11 months, but the Texas flag and a sign with Dawson’s name and “deployed” written on it, along with a yellow ribbon, were the only two things that withstood all the different kinds of weather for the entire time Dawson was away.