Lonely Vigil

Tattered and soot-stained from wartime, Old Glory keeps a lonely vigil inside a custom oak display case. The stars and stripes from World War II are located at the south entrance to the Beaumont Civic Center. Day after day, a procession files right past the flag, slowly and inexorably. They’re headed inside City Hall to pull a building permit, take out a business license or pay their sewer bill. But few know the true story behind the flag that flew proudly over the U.S.S. Beaumont while it gathered meteorological data, patrolled the sea lanes and supported land operations in the Pacific.

Proud legacy

The onetime yacht was pressed into duty during the war. Its polished, wooden decks bristled with .50-caliber guns instead of well-dressed passengers. During its many voyages, smokestacks on board belched thick, black smoke. Along the way, faint traces of gray soot coated the flag, which bore 48 stars that symbolized the number of states earlier in our history.

In 1946, only a year after the U.S. S. Beaumont ended wartime operations, the Navy wrote Beaumont officials asking whether they wanted to display the ship’s battle colors. City officials proudly accepted the offer and preparations got under way for displaying the flag. Ken Smith of Wildwood Cabinets made the custom display case, which came with wheels. Jerry Casey of Beaumont Glass got credit for the framing job. Sandi Miller of Miller Enterprises did the tapestry work. During the 1980s, the Exchange Club of the San Gorgonio Pass recognized those who helped make the exhibit possible. Inside the display case are black and white photos of the U.S.S. Beaumont and historical documentation about the ship’s role in WWII. On April 9, 1946, the 11th Naval District wrote to the city of Beaumont and saluted the U.S.S. Beaumont as a large gunboat that “carried the name of your city into battle in the war zones.”

Honoring the flag

So, the next time you’re in City Hall, please take a moment to glance at Old Glory. And with the Fourth of July coming up, let’s all pay tribute to a living symbol of Beaumont’s history—our stars and stripes forever!