Immigrant honors military, first responders with Palm Bay neighborhood flag display
Yuri Linna still recalls the stories of his father serving in Finland's military, fighting against Soviet troops in a dispute over land about 80 years ago.
Linna, a Finnish immigrant who now lives in Palm Bay, got his respect for the active military and veterans from those stories. And that led him to his tradition of honoring them, as well as first responders and medical workers, by placing flags in front of homes throughout his neighborhood before three holidays ― Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veterans Day.
He and his wife, Janice, continued their tradition on Friday, in The Lakes at Waterstone and Heron Bay at Waterstone neighborhoods in southeast Palm Bay, placing 700 flags about 15 feet apart from one another near the roadside in front of homes.
Linna says he has been doing this since 1999, starting with 25 flags in his previous hometown of Boca Raton, then in Wellington beginning in 2002 and in Palm Bay beginning in 2007. Each year, he adds to the number of 12-by-18-inch flags he plant, this year reaching 700. He pays for each flag, which now runs at about $2 apiece.
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"This has been very well-received," said Linna, an electronics engineer, who retired Friday after 38 years with the electronics company Philips, where he specialized in medical products. "We have not had any negative comments" from local residents.
Among his neighbors in Palm Bay is Neil Fischer, who several years ago decided to join the Linnas in their three-time-a-year flag-planting endeavor.
"I've seen people come to tears" when they see the display, Fischer said, particularly people with a military connection. "It's something to truly behold. It's so emotional. It just left an indelible impression in my mind."
Fischer, a retired teacher, said he has seen grandparents walking hand-in-hand with their young grandchildren to view the rows of flags on display, while explaining the symbolism as it ties to military service and protecting the rights of Americans.
Linna said, while he, his wife and Fischer do the flag-planting themselves, others in the neighborhood help them gather up the flags after the holidays for storage until the next holiday comes around. He says anyone who would like to join in the effort for future holidays can email him at YuriLinna@gmail.com
Janice Linna, a native of Alabama, says the flag display fits right in with her patriotic nature.
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"I just have always has a tender spot in my heart for the service members and their families," she said. "This is a small gesture on our part" to honor them, as well as to emphasize the freedoms that Americans have.
Yuri Linna moved to the United States from Finland in 1979 and became a U.S. citizen in 2005.
In reflecting on the flag displays he spearheads three times a year, Linna said: "It's been fun and enjoyable for us. God is blessing us, and we want to bless others."
Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on Twitter at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Military, first responders honored with Palm Bay neighborhood flag display
