The picture at the top is a man I never met, yet is very dear to me and my family. He died in 1958, 12 years before I was born. He served his country in the first world war. He served his community as a volunteer fireman. He also was my father,Warner's, dad. He was Howard Warner Payne,of Bainbridge. Before my father,Warner Howard Payne,(middle photo) passed away in 1998, he repeatedly tried to aquire a volunteer firemans flag for his dad's grave. He had little cooperation from the Bainbridge Fire Department, for they couldn't find any records on him belonging to the Bainbridge Fire Department. My dad passed away without ever having the chance to see his dad honored with a simple 12" x18" red and yellow firemans flag on his grave. This past week my mother took me and my family on a trip to Greenlawn Cemetery in Bainbridge to see many of the Payne graves. There was a metal volunteer firemans flag holder(empty)on the left side of his grave. On the right side was a World War I marker with an American flag in it. I was determined to somehow obtain a firemans flag for the empty flag holder. I checked on the internet for volunteer firemans flags, no problem,if you wanted to pay close to twenty dollars for one. I wasn't going to be discouraged about obtaining one. I was able to find one on Conklin Ave. in Binghamton for $4.32.(Thanks Heritage Flags and Banners). I wanted to honor both the grandfather I never knew,and my father, whom I miss very much with this small honor to two true "Payne's".
