In a fix: Shop comes to rescue, repairs flag Published Jan. 5, 2009 By Danielle Gregory Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., -- What does it take to mend a garrison-sized flag? Recently, the parachute shop in Bldg. 229 found out after a hole was reported in Tinker's colors and they were called on for the repair. The garrison flag is scheduled to be used as a backdrop for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center change of command Wednesday. The flag is approximately 40-by-60 feet, large enough to complicate the sewing process, especially when protocol dictates the flag cannot touch the floor. "We had to keep it off the floor, so we hung it up in our drying tower. We have the drying tower for hanging B-52 drag parachutes that get wet on deployment. The tower is well over 60-feet and has cables on all sides," said David Weiss, parachute shop supervisor. "We connected the cables to one side of the flag and pulled it out of the container. Then we connected the other end, hanging it by two sides, draping it in the middle and arranging the hole to be at the bottom so we could put the sewing machine there." The shop had to make repairs quickly because the weight of the hanging flag would have caused the holes to get larger over time, making the repair more difficult. The repair job was not an everyday duty for the parachute shop, but it is something they have done on several occasions. "We all had a good time working on the flag. It's always satisfying to be part of something bigger than ourselves and this was much bigger. At a time when patriotism is waning in this county, getting this close to 'Old Glory' felt very comforting," said Mr. Weiss.