2,000 American Flags Fly at Covina Field of Valor in Honor of Veterans

More than 2,000 American flags were flying in a Covina field as part of a week-long Veterans Day tribute.

For the fourth year in a row, the Covina Rotary Club transformed Sierra Vista Middle School football field into the Covina Field of Valor, and organizers say each flag represents a story of a veteran or active service member, including one that stands alone among the rows of flags.

That flag was planted for Army SP4 Donald Ward Evans, Jr., who in 1967 was killed while giving aid to wounded soldiers under fire in Vietnam. He posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor the following year.

For Edd Rousses, a World War II Army veteran who has received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, walking among the flags is an emotional experience.

"It means a lot to me, it’s unbelievable,” he said. “I’m 90 years old. It’s great to be here."

Most flags were sponsored - for less than $40 each - and dedicated to a friend or family member, according to the Field of Valor website. Proceeds from donations go to help service members, their families and the Ontario USO.

"We've raised hundreds of thousands of dollars of which we are giving back to the community of the veterans - not to anybody else," said Wayne Partee, the co-chairman of the Field of Valor. "I tell people, our first year there was a deployed family. Mom's getting ready to have a baby, had no crib. We bought her a crib."

The event featured speakers, concerts, student tours and military fly-overs. On Veterans Day, the Field of Valor opens from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.