Lawyers buy new flags for local courthouses

By Kirsten Michener
Staff writer

July 04, 2009 03:52 am

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NEWBURYPORT— The tattered flags at the Newburyport District Court were in much need of replacement, but state budget cuts prevented new ones from being bought.

Thanks to the help of the Newburyport Bar Association, the flags were replaced between the District Court and Superior Court yesterday at 1 p.m.

Charles Rotondi, a local Newburyport lawyer and member of the Newburyport Bar Association, presented the new flags to Michele Gaeta, assistant chief at Newburyport District Court. The new flags for the district court include the American flag, state flag and the MIA/POW (missing in action/prisoners of war) flag. The Superior Court received a new state flag.

"The courthouse needs a new flag because it's torn. It's true of a lot of courthouses because of the lack of funds," Rotondi said. "My hope is that other bar associations in other counties can do the same thing."

The MIA/POW flag hits close to home for Rotondi. His brother-in-law, Edwin "Jack" Pearce, was shot down in Laos in 1972 in an Air Force aircraft used for flights that gathered intelligence. The plane crashed with 14 men on board. The family was told that Pearce had either died, or he had been taken as a prisoner of war, Rotondi said. When Rotondi met his wife in the late 1970s, her parents had already dedicated their lives to the MIA National League of Families of MIA/POWS.

"2,500 men were still missing when the Paris Peace Agreement was signed," Rotondi said.

Finally, in 2008 after 36 years of waiting, Pearce's remains were found.

Pearce was laid to rest in September 2008 in Pennsylvania next to his father, who was also a prisoner of war during WWII.

"The miracle is Jack's remains were found and returned to Milford," Rotondi said. "The MIA/POW flag has always meant a lot to me, (and) my wife still has trouble talking about it."