Mercer Island Marine Patrol receives new American flag

Published 1:30 pm Friday, August 7, 2026

Special to the Reporter

When local Starbucks coffee master Larry Snyder observed a frayed American flag on the stern of the Mercer Island Police Department (MIPD) Marine Patrol vessel, his patriotic heart skipped a beat. He felt it was his duty to buy a new flag and donate it to the MIPD.

“My mother taught me that the American flag need always be respected,” Snyder commented. “And respect includes making sure that the fabric symbolizing our freedom is in good repair.”

But how do you retire and dispose of a flag properly? Immediately Snyder thought of his friend Mike Flood, vice president of community outreach for the Seahawks. Because Flood is a retired Coast Guard commander, he figured he would know what to do. Flood invited Snyder and Greg Asimakoupoulos, MIPD chaplain, to facilitate a flag retirement and replacement ceremony on the dock of the Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

The simple ceremony included removing the old flag, folding it and replacing it with the new one. It concluded with the group joining in the pledge of allegiance after which the chaplain added “Go Hawks!” The Marine Patrol unit included Sergeant David Herzog, officer Luis Paz and support officer Andrea Scinkovec.

In addition to Flood, the Seahawks were represented by George Englebright, director of security, who gave the officers a tour of the Seahawks training facility before they weighed anchor and sailed back to Mercer Island with the new flag painting the breeze.