Army Reservist Maj. Charles Mopps met Mayor John Holic at the South County FamilyYMCA a few years back. They’re part of the early morning crowd that starts their workout at 5 a.m. They became friends.

While he was serving overseas, Mopps got to thinking: What about flying a flag bearing the city’s emblem over the heavily fortified Bagram Airfield, one of the largest military installations in Afghanistan, and returning it to the city?