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SOLDIER BRINGS HOME FLAG FROM IRAQ AS GIFT TO PRESCHOOL

Jun- 7-2005 » Filed Under:

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By Emily Dupuis - The Sun Staff

WESTERLY - Chief Warrant Officer II Frank Volpe Jr. once proudly waved an American flag from the roof of Uday and Qusay Hussein's palace in the northern Iraq city of Mosul.

On Monday, Volpe hung the same flag outside Westerly Preschool, a gift to the class of his 4-year-old son, Cody.

In return, the Cross Street school - under director and Town Council Vice President Diana Avedesian - held a flag ceremony outside the school, honoring Volpe, 34, for his eight months of recent service with the Army in Iraq.

"We are honored and we are proud of him. And we are proud to have his son, Cody, in our preschool," Avedesian said to around 20 parents, grandparents and siblings gathered. "That flag will fly with pride outside." [...]

The ceremony was bittersweet for a soldier who was scheduled to return this morning to Iraq for another 31/2 months after a 15-day leave.

"Enjoy what you've got," Volpe said. "I've seen a lot of things and we've got it good over here. And we're making it better. Just know that. Just know that."

"Behind every great man there's always a great woman," he added, pointing to his wife, Sarah, in the crowd. "She's why I'm here today. I love you."

Tears in her eyes, Sarah hugged her husband of seven years.

"It's nice of them to honor my husband because we're proud of him. I'm very proud of him and the other troops," she said. "I'm honored to be married to a soldier, because I know it's not easy, but we make it work." [...]

A member of the Stryker Brigade, Volpe serves as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technician, flying "spy planes" without human pilots using controls and monitors from the ground. He said he supports missions and provides warnings and protection for ground forces. [...]


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