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Official GEEIA flag on display at 38th CEIG

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  • Engineering Installation 38th Cyberspace Group
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  A piece of history recently made its way back to the 38th Cyberspace Engineering Installation Group.

On Nov. 13, two retired chief master sergeants -- James Street and William Riley -- presented the official Ground Electronics Engineering Installation Agency flag to 24th Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Edwin Wilson, and 38th CEIG Commander Col. Eric DeLange.

Although the 38th CEIG's origins trace back to the 1940s, GEEIA is its most direct predecessor.

Since GEEIA's deactivation in March 1970, the flag had been kept in storage. It was only used for GEEIA-Mobile Depot Activity-Engineering Installation Association reunions every other year and was slowly deteriorating.

The association's officers decided the flag needed a permanent home -- one that didn't include a storage box. They had the flag framed and asked if the 38th CEIG would assume custody of it. The officers wanted to ensure that the custodial line of responsibility for the flag remained intact. They also wanted the flag to be available to the GEEIA-MDA-EI for use at their reunions and other special functions.

General Wilson's visit to the 38th CEIG last month was the ideal time to make the presentation.

"This is absolutely the right place to display this symbolic historical artifact, and this was the perfect opportunity to present it to our AFCYBER commander, Major General Wilson, since GEEIA was commanded by a two-star, Major General Nichols, when it deactivated," said Colonel DeLange. "Just as GEEIA was foundational to what the 38th CEIG does today, the 38th CEIG mission is foundational to today's Air Force cyber mission sets."

GEEIA was established in 1958 as the Air Force's first unified engineering and installation organization responsible for centralized management of worldwide E&I resources. At the time, the Air Force had a policy that all commands and sub-commands have their own flag. Because GEEIA was a sub-command of Air Materiel Command, the flag was designed and displayed when GEEIA was activated. The flag resided in the GEEIA Headquarters command section at Griffiss Air Force Base, N.Y.

When GEEIA deactivated on March 31, 1970, Maj. Gen. Franklin A. Nichols gave the flag to Chief Master Sgt. Walter J. Chapman, GEEIA's command sergeant major, for safekeeping. Sergeant Chapman eventually presented the flag to the GEEIA-MDA-EI Association.

The flag is now on permanent display in Bldg. 4064.