“Norm’s” flagpole at 76th and Appleton

Several years ago, the flagpole at 76th and Appleton in Milwaukee was dedicated to my friend and business associate Norm Neitzke. The Association for Northwest Advancement (of which I was a member) took care of replacing flags along Appleton Avenue for many years, until — as has happened to many organizations — falling membership led to its demise. I noticed that “Norm’s flag” was faded, torn and not worthy of being flown anywhere, let alone on a pole dedicated to a World War II veteran who had been a member of the Band of Brothers. (Steven Ambrose’s book by that name detailed the exploits of these brave men, and of course, they later became immortalized on film.)

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently ran a small article about the pole’s dedication plaque having been found somewhere, and the finder tracking down Norm’s daughter using the information it contained. When I saw that article, I tracked down his daughter too, and asked her to return it, so it could be put back where it belonged. She said the weather had beaten it up, and rust had separated it from the pole, so that it was really not in any shape to be reattached.

Norm was a friend to North Shore Bank who volunteered to come to our Customer Appreciation Days to talk to folks about the Great War. He especially loved to talk to young people, wanting to be sure they understood what war was really like, not just what was glorified and portrayed in the movies. He went to schools and spoke for that same reason. I worked beside him as a volunteer for many years at the Bradley Center, the money we earned going to help prevent child abuse. Norm continued his work at the Bradley Center for some time, even though he was gnarled with arthritis. He was the kind of person who was always positive, never complaining, and I don’t believe he ever said an unkind word.

I would pay for another plaque, if there were any way to keep it attached to his flag pole, because I would like future generations passing by that spot to know there was once an insurance salesman who, as the inscription read, was the “Flag Man of Appleton Ave, WWII Veteran, Dedicated Patriot and ANA Community Advocate,” born in 1926 and alive until 2008. The best I can do is see to it that the flag flies brightly and proudly in my old friend’s honor. It is a sight he would be proud to salute!