Touching the Flag
By Joey Berlin
Originally published 01:10 p.m., March 24, 2008
Updated 01:10 p.m., March 24, 2008
When Jesse Solis saw the Associated Press article on Randolph Cabral, the head of the Kansas Braille Transcription Institute, and the widespread popularity of the Braille American flag that the Wichita native created, Solis decided Emporia was a natural fit for the Braille flag.
A member of the All Veterans Tribute Committee, Solis has already put in motion the drive to bring at least three bronze Braille flags to the city. With some monetary help from the community to buy the flags, Solis would like flags to be placed at Soden’s Grove Park and at the Mexican-American World War II Veterans Memorial. A location for the third flag has yet to be determined.
“I made (Cabral) aware that we are the founding city of Veterans Day,” Solis said. “See, some of our guys are Second World War veterans. And when I mentioned this to them, they were beyond themselves. They thought it was a fantastic idea that this young man did this, and then, God bless them, they thought it was a fantastic idea ... to honor our veterans.”
The interest in his flag for the blind isn’t new to Cabral anymore. After he began distributing the flags, word spread quickly about them, with individuals and organizations requesting them constantly. Two of this year’s presidential hopefuls, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, have been photographed with Braille flags, and in April, Cabral will see one of his bronze flags formally dedicated at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia as a tribute to blind Americans.
“In the beginning, of course, I had no inclination at all that there would be such an interest in the flag,” Cabral said. “... I never thought that it’d go further than right here. I thought maybe once in a while somebody might come and ask for it, or we may learn about somebody that might want one. We weren’t advertising it.”
Cabral created the Braille flag, made in both a bronze version and in a lightweight material known as thermaform, in memory of his late father. World War II veteran Jesus Sanchez Cabral, who came to the U.S. from Mexico, loved the U.S. flag and would display it on his porch during patriotic holidays. But glaucoma robbed him of his sight late in life, and he gave up on attempting to display the flag. Jesus Cabral died in 1998.
The pledge of allegiance is displayed in Braille on both versions of the flag. The color versions allow the blind to use their language to discern the red, white and blue areas.
For the non-color thermaform flags, the Kansas Braille Transcription Institute asks for a donation of $5. For color flags, the organization asks for $7.50.
The bronze flags Solis wants to bring to Emporia are 12 inches by 13 inches and a quarter-inch thick, he said. They cost about $480 apiece, Cabral said. Solis said he didn’t think the All Veterans committee would have any trouble raising the money for the three flags.
Donation checks to help fund the Braille flag project can be made out to the All Veterans Tribute Committee and sent to the Emporia Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1337, Emporia, KS 66801. Questions may be directed to Linda Cookson at 343-1617 or Solis at 342-8753.
“I think all of this has really impacted my life,” Cabral said. “I mean, I’ve always been proud to be an American. ... But communicating with so many different people on issues of patriotism, on issues relative to what our servicemen and women have done, and their sacrifices, makes me very proud ...”
The bronze flag for the Arlington ceremony was received at the cemetery on Thursday morning, Cabral said. He said he hasn’t received word yet whether President Bush will be part of the presentation.
Hillbilly (anonymous) says...
Solis, if you have enough money to buy one, put it at the Veterans memorial, will you want your name on it for everyone to see that you did it?? and does the veterans committee even want one of them, Damn there is all kinds of stuff that can be put down there, there has to be a point of when it becomes cluttered up, I am all for flags so DONT tell me i am against the American flag. I am a U.S. Military Veteran, are you??
And have you received permission to place it at the Memorial?? you need that you know!!
And I suppose you will have to have it in Spanish??? This is America, and ENGLISH is the language not Spanish, you really need to get use to that, And no the cops don't need to be bilingual either, LEARN ENGLISH or leave
April 1, 2008 at 2:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )