Burglars make off with flag vendor's sales gear
By BENJAMIN C. SHARP bensharp@journal-spectator.com

L-N File Photo Proudly She Waves Nearly $400 of vendor's gear used to sell American flags like this one was stolen during the night from a roadside stand in East Bernard.

EAST BERNARD - From giving away miniature U.S. flags to passing motorists to selling full-size models ideal for flagpoles, Jeanne Bowsier was doing her part this week to help area residents mark the anniversary of 9/11.

Why someone would want to stymie such efforts is beyond Bowsier's understanding. Yet she arrived to her place of business Sunday to discover she had been burglarized.

Nearly $400 worth of flag brackets, a display stand, dollies and even a couple of card tables had been stolen. Thankfully, Bowsier had packed up her flags and patriotic ball caps and taken them with her before leaving several days earlier.

The stands and tables were left behind. The stand weighs 65 pounds all by itself.

"It's really hard for me to load," she said.

Wharton County Sheriff's Department officials are now investigating. It's believed the burglary occurred between 2:30 p.m. Sept. 4 and 1:15 p.m. Sunday.

No evidence has been found.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Sgt. John Gutierrez at 532-1550.

"We hope somebody saw something," said Lt. Daniel Marek.

A Santa Fe resident, Bowsier has sold patriotic gear at the corner of U.S. 90-A and Texas 60 in East Bernard since August. She is one of three other "itinerant" vendors who take turns using the defunct service station to temporarily set up shop. Each pays a fee to the property owner for the right to do so.

Without the brackets and display stands, Bowsier on Monday had to lean her various flags against the service station's walls. That's not exactly the most eye-catching spot, and looked "tacky," Bowsier said.

So does selling hats out of her van, affectionately nicknamed "The Beast." The caps would normally have been set out on the card tables.

She had hoped to have a stunning display ready for Tuesday's "Fly the Flag" campaign, a nationwide effort to pay homage to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist strikes in New York City and Washington D.C.

"It's important to me to promote military stuff," she said, adding that her uncles are all Navy veterans. "It makes me feel like I'm doing a public service."

Bowsier began selling flags and caps during the first Gulf War. She's continued to do so for 16 years, using the small income she makes as a supplement to her income as a substitute teacher.

This year was her first time to set up East Bernard. Bowsier said she had heard that the community was the perfect place to do business, being both receptive and safe.

She now has some doubts about that reputation.

"Everybody tells me there's no crime in this town. I beg to differ now," she said.