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Published June 14, 2007 11:52 pm - For David Mitchell, it was the most meaningful time he had ever recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Mitchell, a staff sergeant with the 203rd Engineer Battalion of the Army National Guard, led a crowd of about 60 in the pledge during a Flag Day presentation Thursday at Northpark Mall. “I got a little emotional,” Mitchell said. “It was a great honor.” Local mall hails Flag Day
By Joe Hadsall jhadsall@joplinglobe.com For David Mitchell, it was the most meaningful time he had ever recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Mitchell, a staff sergeant with the 203rd Engineer Battalion of the Army National Guard, led a crowd of about 60 in the pledge during a Flag Day presentation Thursday at Northpark Mall. “I got a little emotional,” Mitchell said. “It was a great honor.” Mitchell was finishing a tour of duty in Baghdad, Iraq. Three weeks before he was to return home, he was driving in a convoy that was ambushed. A rocket-propelled grenade punched through the cab of his truck and hit the back of his leg, leaving a softball-sized hole in his calf. The Carthage man recovered from the injury and still serves with the battalion. He was awarded a Purple Heart. “I’m lucky to be alive, so everything seems like an honor now,” Mitchell said. Northpark Mall staged its third annual “Old Glory-ous Celebration” on Flag Day. “Between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, Flag Day gets overlooked,” said Lori Jones, marketing director for the mall. “This event helps to show that Americanism is alive and well in Joplin.” The ceremony was a culmination of a patriotic campaign, sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers, that started on Memorial Day weekend. People filled out pledge cards saying they would fly the American flag on June 14. Participants received free stick flags, which were displayed at the customer service center. Attendees shared a large, red-, white- and blue-iced cookie, and other flag-colored treats. Show Me Harmony, a women’s barbershop choir, performed a series of traditional patriotic songs. 
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