During the turbulent days following Sept. 11 attacks Mike Murray, left, fabricated a makeshift, over-sized flagpole and raised a giant American flag on the hill above Blue Shield in El Dorado Hills. Town Center magnate Tony Mansour, center, and Louis Mansour, right, encouraged the project, which stopped traffic on U.S. 50 and stood for more than a year before being replaced with the smaller, properly anchored, county-compliant pole and flag that stands today. Murray recently donated one of the original over-sized flags to the Mansours, who plan to display it in the California Welcome Center. Village Life photo by Mike Roberts