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Veteran instrumental in getting flag flying
(by Sue Reid - December 28, 2011)
Photo by Itamar Gat
Bob Cibik is a Marine Corps veteran who fought in Vietnam. Mr. Cibik made sure a flag representing POWs and MIAs is flying at veterans memorial park in Solon.
Veteran instrumental in getting flag flying
By SUE REID
Since the veterans memorial park in Solon was dedicated last year, flags representing the seven branches of service and two American flags are on display.
Thanks to the efforts of one Solon veteran, that number has increased by one.
Bob Cibik, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who fought in the Vietnam War, said a flag honoring prisoners of war had not been installed at the new park. He said he had thought about this for some time and recently made the request to Mayor Susan A. Drucker.
This was not the first time he made a request.
In 1990, Mr. Cibik, along with some other Marine friends, attended a City Council meeting with then-Mayor Robert Paulson and initiated a POW flag at the site of the park. "It hung there all these years, but had never been resurrected at the new park," he said. "Time after time, I went to Solon and said, 'What happened to the POW flag?'"
He decided to make the request to the new administration, he said, and Mrs. Drucker readily complied. She thanked Mr. Cibik during a recent meeting for bringing it to her attention.
Mr. Cibik acknowledged her expediency and was very thankful. "It happened in a moment's notice."
He said he felt that it was not only honorable to have the flag in place but that other communities also recognize POWs and MIAs and so should Solon.
"It acts as a symbol to remember all the veterans who gave up their lives to preserve freedom in all the wars," Mr. Cibik said. He noted that, in World War II, there were more than 75,000 POWs and MIAs, in the Korean War, more than 8,000 and in Vietnam, more than 2,300.
"The outcome of the war in Vietnam was to recognize all wars and that there were POWs in all wars," Mr. Cibik said. "It's not just symbolic of the Vietnam War, but we lost many soldiers.
"This signifies a period of time in our history where we should recognize POWs in all wars," he said.
Mr. Cibik, a retired teacher with the Solon schools who now teaches gym part-time, said it is important to think civically to help broaden awareness.
"I kept thinking, 'What contributions could I make?'" said Mr. Cibik, who has been a Solon resident for more than 30 years. He said he wanted the POW flag to serve as a reminder that there is a high price to pay for keeping this country free.
He said he is reminded of a bumper sticker that declares "to those who fought for freedom, life has a flavor that the protected never know."
The Solon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1863 said it is extremely supportive and in favor of the new flag. Mr. Cibik is a lifetime member of the post.
"The flag is a symbol that they are not forgotten," Veterans of Foreign War Solon post Commander Jack Tesmer said.
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