PORT HUENEME : Base’s ‘Betsy Ross’ Fixes Tattered Flags

Rarely a day goes by without Darla Figueroa glancing at one of the flags flapping over the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Port Hueneme and wondering whether its seams are still intact.

Known to co-workers as a modern-day Betsy Ross, Figueroa, 34, is not one to stand for tattered flags.

“It doesn’t even have to be badly ripped,� said Figueroa, a security clerk at the construction center. “Someone else might not even notice it needs mending, but I can’t resist the urge to do some fixing.�

Figueroa is the base’s unofficial flag mender. Since 1985, when she first volunteered to trim the frayed edges of the nation’s symbol, Figueroa estimates that she has fixed about 15 flags.

She began mending flags as a favor for her husband, Chief Master of Arms Luis Figueroa, CBC’s assistant security officer. He is responsible for maintaining the department’s three flags.

“He brought one home one day and asked me if I would mind fixing it,� Figueroa said. “He’s been bringing them home ever since.�

Her efforts have saved the Navy about $800, she said. Without mending, the flags would probably have been burned in accordance with military protocol.

In an era when the military is facing steep cuts in defense spending, Figueroa said she is pleased that her efforts are able to save the Navy some money.

“It’s easier and cheaper for me to spend 10 minutes fixing a seam than throwing it out or paying a lot of money to have someone else do it,� she said.

Figueroa began sewing in junior high school and has made clothes for her family. Since moving to Port Mugu in 1982, when her husband was transferred from Long Beach, she said she hasn’t had as much time for sewing as she would like. The demands of caring for her family and holding a full-time job take most of her effort, she said.

Since making it known that she enjoys mending flags, Figueroa’s co-workers have begun to call her the “Betsy Ross of the ‘90s.� “I didn’t do it for the recognition. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do,� she said.