Flags for Vets

When Kris Morgan picks up a piece of wood in his Guthrie garage, he doesn’t just see lumber. He sees a story waiting to be told, a life waiting to be honored.

“I started making flags as therapy,” Morgan says, brushing sawdust off a half-finished American flag. “But it’s turned into something much bigger than me.”

Morgan, a U.S. Air Force Veteran who once served at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, is the heart behind Flags for Veterans, a personal mission to handcraft wooden American flags and deliver them in surprise visits to Veterans across the country.

Military service runs deep in his family. His father and one grandfather served in the Army. His brother and another grandfather were in the Navy. Following that tradition, Morgan joined the Air Force in 1994 and worked on the AWACS aircraft during his time at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas and then at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. In 1995, he deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Southern Watch.

While overseas, he sustained a non-combat head injury that would change the course of his life. After returning home, his condition worsened. He experienced seizures, migraines, and would eventually suffer four heart attacks. A recent diagnosis of restrictive lung disease was tied to his volunteer work in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

“I couldn’t hold down full-time work because of my medical issues,” Morgan says. “And that led to a really dark place. Depression took hold.A Veteran friend encouraged him to connect with local non-profits, where he rediscovered a sense of purpose. Bonding over fishing, hunting, and golf offered him healing, but it was in woodworking that he found something more lasting.

What began as a hobby became a calling. Since then, Morgan has created more than 1,450 wooden American flags, with over 1,200 of them gifted to fellow Veterans.

Each flag is handcrafted in his garage workshop. They come in various sizes and styles, but every single one is made with intention and care. Names of Veterans are submitted to him by loved ones or community members. Sometimes, sponsors purchase flags for strangers, trusting Kris to deliver them where they’re needed most.

“When a Vet builds a flag, we also have them build a wooden American Cross. They have to promise me not to gift this cross to a friend or family member,” Kris said. Instead, he encourages them to leave a cross in their car and gift it to a veteran they encounter in daily life. “Then they send me a picture and come build another cross so they can repeat the pattern over and over. This shows the Vets how awesome I get to feel when I give away a cross or flag.”

While Kris travels across the country to deliver flags, his base of operations is right here in central Oklahoma. He recently moved into a new home in Guthrie, equipped with a larger workshop, where his vision is expanding.

“My dream is to have a space where Veterans can come learn woodworking, hang out, swap stories – maybe enjoy a whiskey or a cigar by the fire,” he says, smiling. That dream is already underway. He has hosted approximately 90 Veterans in monthly workshops so far and hopes the community of support continues to grow.

“Being in that space together is healing,” Morgan says. “Some of us didn’t even realize we needed it until we showed up.”

For Kris, this mission is more than craftsmanship. It’s a way to serve, to connect, and to remind other Veterans that they are seen, remembered, and deeply appreciated. And it is 100% in service. “Veteran Flags by Vets is 100% non-profit,” Kris explained. “Every dollar that comes in stays in the program. We have zero paid employees, and board members are all volunteers.”

“I may have been medically retired,” he says, “but I’m still serving. Just in a different way now.”

Learn more at veteranflagsbyvets.com.