The Army-Navy club of Vicksburg hosted its quarterly flag-raising ceremony Wednesday morning at the Mississippi Welcome Center at the foot of the Old Mississippi River Bridge. The new flag was raised in honor of veterans Segt. E-5 Mike Robinson, who served in the U.S. Army, and Airman Second Class Don Gould, who served in the U.S. Air Force.

The raising was sponsored by Dr. Tom Houseal and Lucy Houseal.

The 20-foot-by-30-foot flag has been replaced every three months since 1994.

Flag Committee Chairman Norman Francingues spoke at the ceremony before the flag-raising. He paraphrased his predecessor, Lewis Decell.

“Louis was a great veteran and American patriot,” Francingues said. “He said the nation’s flag flying on the Highway 80 bridge reminds us of how capable we are of living together with respect for individual dignity and the right of self-determination. The flag on the bridge is more than a thing of beauty. It is a symbol of freedom.”