Photos by JOHN W. ADKISSON I The Roanoke Times

Waynard Caldwell, 74, of Roanoke (center) prays with others during a flag raising ceremony held on Friday morning near Interstate 581 and Elm Avenue in honor of Independence Day.

Bill Aylor, 89, of Vinton, salutes the flag Friday morning.

Photos by JOHN W. ADKISSON I The Roanoke Times

Carl Edwards, 3, of Roanoke, (right) walks along a ledge with Harrison Edwards, 9, near the flagpole.

The intersection where Elm Avenue crosses Interstate 581 is one of the busiest in the western half of the state. And Carl McCurdy, a former Marine who runs a nearby hearing aid center, noticed there was no American flag waving above all the traffic.

Until Friday morning. McCurdy installed a 35-foot pole in his parking lot, invited over the fellows from VFW Post 4522 in Vinton and they hoisted the Stars and Stripes in time for the Fourth of July.

The flag is American made, 60 square feet and lit from below to fly 24 hours a day. "And the flag can be seen from all directions," McCurdy added outside the Beltone Audiology and Hearing Aid Center.

A dozen men from the VFW, dressed in caps and gray slacks, watched at attention. Four of them unfurled the flag. A breeze kicked up as the flag was raised and sent the stripes fluttering.

"I always get a lump in my throat, especially when they play 'Taps,' " said Bill Campbell, an 86-year-old former infantryman who served in Europe in World War II.

As it happens, "Taps" was perhaps the only thing missing from the ceremony. The Pledge of Allegiance was said, and the national anthem was sung. About 100 people stopped by, including Roanoke Mayor David Bowers and a few state legislators, who offered patriotic messages to the crowd.

"America is a great nation," said state Sen. Ralph Smith, R-Botetourt County. The former Roanoke mayor also gave a condensed reading of the Declaration of Independence.

"How do people celebrate the Fourth of July?" asked state Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, a former Marine who also gave a lengthy history lesson about Old Glory. "By raising the flag."