The journey of the American flag fluttering above Condell Medical Center in Libertyville covered nearly 7,000 miles–the distance to Lake County from Camp Spearhead in Kuwait.
The Stars and Stripes flew above the military base on Sept. 11, 2004, at the request of Arcia Moss, 36, a Navy reservist from Vernon Hills who returned last week from serving in Kuwait.
Moss had sent the flag to the hospital, where he worked as an operating room technician for the last three years.
Moss, who was deployed to Kuwait in August, provided health care for a battalion in charge of loading and unloading equipment headed for Iraq.
“I just wanted to thank Condell for showing me support and holding my job,” he said. “Every little piece of mail that’s provided is a reminder of home, and sometimes it helps you get past the tough spots.”
The flag will be flown above Condell’s main entrance until all employees return from overseas deployments, said spokeswoman Carla Esser Lake.
While Moss is back from Kuwait, an emergency room nurse, Tabitha Sobel, is with the Navy in Iraq. And a recovery room nurse, Shreese Sarpy, is leaving for an Army Reserves deployment to Panama at the end of the month.
