Airmen support flag unfurling at 49ers home opener
129th Rescue Wing service members help with pregame ceremony
Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman
129th Rescue Wing Public Affairs
Sept. 22, 2022
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – As the Air Force celebrated its 75th birthday Sunday, Airmen from Cal Guard's 129th Rescue Wing walked onto the field at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara minutes before kickoff of the San Francisco 49ers home opener to unfurl a football-field sized American flag in the shape of the United States while the national anthem rang out across the stadium.
As NFL players from the 49ers and NFC West division rival Seattle Seahawks watched from the sidelines, nine Airmen joined more than 90 season ticket holders to open a flag cut in the shape of the United States.
The team's community outreach office invited Airmen to participate; it was the latest event in a longstanding relationship between the 49ers and the 129th, which are located less than four miles apart.
Airmen arrived Sunday morning, more than five hours before the game's 1:05 p.m. kickoff, to unpack and assemble the 90 ft. by 180 ft. flag.
As a breeze blew across Santa Clara and rain dropped in fits and starts, the Airmen joined season ticket holders to rehearse on the 49ers practice field. From Washington to Maine, South Carolina, Florida, Texas, Louisiana and California, Airmen were positioned at key areas of the shaped fabric flag and served as team leaders for the civilian flag crew members.
Brad Robinson, a production company staffer who led the flag unfurling portion of the pregame show, said having service members augment the game's flag crew is beneficial.
"The military, they listen and they perform. They're super efficient, they make it happen and they're really easy to work," Robinson said.
Senior Airman Osvaldo Chavez, a 49ers fan who serves in the wing's 129th Maintenance Squadron, looks forward to flag crew opportunities.
"It feels great, it really does. It's not my first time doing it, but every time as soon as the drums start going you can hear all the energy from the fans and it's exciting," Chavez said. "It's just amazing to be a part of."
As game time approached and sunlight poked through stormy skies, Airmen and the rest of the flag crew carried the flag onto the field. A pair of U.S. Air Force T-38 jets from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base screamed overhead and the final stanzas of the Star Spangled Banner echoed across the stadium as a sudden downpour soaked the crew.
"We lucked out, that nice little burst of rain there during the end was beautiful," Robinson said.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Anh Tran, left, of the 129th Force Support Flight, 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard, leads a flag crew onto the field carrying a field-sized American flag in the shape of the United States, Sept. 18, 2022, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, before the San Francisco 49ers home opener football game against the Seattle Seahawks.
U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Anh Tran, left, of the 129th Force Support Flight, 129th Rescue Wing, California Air National Guard, leads a flag crew onto the field carrying a field-sized American flag in the shape of the United States, Sept. 18, 2022, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, before the San Francisco 49ers home opener football game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Staff Sgt. Rodney Garcia, center, of the 129th Logistics Readiness Squadron has part of a football-field sized American flag draped over his shoulder as the flag crew walks onto the field.
Staff Sgt. Rodney Garcia, center, of the 129th Logistics Readiness Squadron has part of a football-field sized American flag draped over his shoulder as the flag crew walks onto the field.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Osvaldo Chavez, from the 129th Maintenance Squadron looks up at the video board while holding an east coast portion of football-field sized American flag in the shape of the United States.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Osvaldo Chavez, from the 129th Maintenance Squadron looks up at the video board while holding an east coast portion of football-field sized American flag in the shape of the United States.
Chavez, left, holds a piece of the northeastern coast while looking up at the video board to see an overhead view of the United States-shaped American flag he helps present at Levi's Stadium.
Chavez, left, holds a piece of the northeastern coast while looking up at the video board to see an overhead view of the United States-shaped American flag he helps present at Levi's Stadium.
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