UWG News Archive

UWG flag flown in Iraq

May 19, 2003

CARROLLTON, GA - Pride in a college alma mater takes on many forms, but First Lieutenant Carlos Bourne may have one of the most unique mementos of them all!

While serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom assigned to Task Force Rakkassan, he requested a flag from the University of West Georgia to display in Iraqi. His request via email went directly to UWG President Beheruz Sethna, who was happy to send him the campus flag.

“I know that most of the world and even some Americans do not support this war, but I was hoping that my own college could support me and the choice I have made,” wrote Bourne.

“I had heard that flying American flags on Iraqi buildings or statues was prohibited and encouraged Lt. Bourne to get permission from his superior officer prior to displaying our flag,” Sethna noted.

UWG News Photo Bourne successfully navigated the military red tape and displayed the UWG flag on a tank borrowed from a unit out of Fort Riley in Kansas. He rounded up two other UWG alumni assigned to his location for the photograph.

SFC Carl Wheat, assigned to the 3rd Brigade Infantry Task Force Rakkassan, is from Carrollton and attended UWG in 1985–86 where he played football. He is a graduate of Central High School and is a veteran of Desert Storm.

SPC Jared Winegarden, Infantry RTO assigned to Task Force Rakkassan, attended West Georgia for one semester in 1992 and transferred to the University of Tennessee. He is also a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is from Chattanooga.

Bourne is a battalion chemical officer assigned to Task Force Red Knights to Task Force Rakkassan. A native of Columbus, he attended UWG from 1995 –2001 and received a degree in finance. He was deployed in the Middle East with the 101st Airborne Division out of Ft. Campbell, KY.

UWG and flags had yet another connection in Iraq. Lt. Col. Jeff Rooks, UWG temporary instructor in management and business systems, had been in the Marine Reserves for 17 years and was called for active duty in January. He served for four months in the Marine Corp on an air base in Kuwait.

“We had a program that allowed us to make presentations of flags which were flown on actual missions,” Rooks explained. He arranged for a U.S. flag to be flown in honor of Sethna and the University of West Georgia.

“The flag was flown on Mission #7321A in an AV-8B Harrier over hostile skies of Iraq on Sunday, March 23,” Rooks said. “This mission destroyed a BM-21 enemy tank.”

Yet another UWG graduate, Maj. Thomas C. Padgett, Jr., was based in Saudi Arabia during the war and flew a number of missions over Iraq as the commander of an E-3 Sentry (AWACS) aircraft. He returned to his home base at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma on May 5. He brought his father, Dr. Tom Padgett who is chair of the UWG Department of Management and Business Systems, a U.S. flag that was flown on one of his missions over Iraq. He graduated from West Georgia in 1986 with a major in finance.

“We are very proud of our UWG alumni in the Middle East and certainly of Carl Wheat, Jared Winegarden, Carlos Bourne and Thomas Padgett,” Sethna said. “We also share our pride in the other alumni and colleagues such as Jeff Rooks and Tony Owens who are serving in the military.”
Army Major Tony Owens, associate director of facilities, was called up to Ft. McPherson but was not deployed to the Middle East.

“We wish them all well and have prayed for their safe return, as we did and continue to do for all our troops,” Sethna said.

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