Beach visitor honors dad, vets with special flag

George McIntosh is doing something special this Memorial Day weekend to honor members of the military who sacrificed their lives for America.

The Leslie, Ark., resident is flying the flag that draped the casket of his late father, Joe Daniel McIntosh, from the mast on his Hobie Cat catamaran while he sails off Pensacola Beach. His father served in the Army in Europe during World War II and suffered from post traumatic stress disorder before he died in 1967.

The flag hasn't been unfolded in 48 years, until Saturday, when McIntosh started displaying it from his boat.

"My gut feeling is to fly it this weekend and take it home and get a case for it built," a teary-eyed McIntosh said. "My dad would be very proud."

McIntosh, 64, said he plans on telling everyone on the beach what he is doing and the significance of the flag he's flying. After it was raised, McIntosh was giddy with excitement and joy. His father's flag dwarfed the much smaller American flag he had on his mast previously.

"I'm so proud of him," Stephanie Reina, McIntosh's girlfriend, said. "It's our little tribute."

McIntosh's sister, Virginia Riley, of Cantonment, gave the flag to McIntosh. She got it from her late mother, who was also named Virginia, about 12 years ago. Her husband, Melvin Riley, is retired from the U.S. Army Special Forces and one of her other brothers, Joe McIntosh, is a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, who lives in Cantonment. George McIntosh didn't serve in the military.

"I was pleased," Riley said when she heard what McIntosh is doing. " I think it's great to fly it on Memorial Day weekend. I think it's wonderful that he would do that in memory of my father."

McIntosh said he has been coming to Pensacola Beach almost every year since his father died. He usually comes in the summer and tries to avoid the holiday weekend crowds. But, he made every effort to get caught up at work running three businesses so he could fly his father's flag this weekend. He also flew an American flag at half staff near Pensacola Beach days after the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

"As I sailed in the Gulf, up and down the beach, I was shocked to see the number of flash cameras going off from the balconies of the different hotels and condos," he said about displaying Old Glory after 9-11.

Mark Abramson can be reached at (850) 435-8680. Follow him on Twitter at Mark_PNJ.