The Colorado Springs man who
designed the black and white POW/MIA
flag flown everywhere from federal
buildings to Harley-Davidson fenders
died Thursday at his home.
Newt Heisley was 88.
"Newt wanted no hoopla. All he wants
is a celebration," his fiancée,
Donna R. Allison, said.
That's what he'll get on Flag Day,
June 14, from 1-4 p.m. at the
American Legion Post 38 in Security.
The public is invited. He will be
entombed at Shrine of Remembrance
next to his wife of 61 years,
Margaret "Bunny", who died in 2005.
The prolific image he sketched in
pencil in 1971 has the silhouette of
a man under a guard tower and behind
barbed wire. It's a symbolic
reminder that not every soldier
returned from the war in Vietnam.
The flag flew over the White House
when President Ronald Reagan marked
the first POW/MIA Recognition Day.
Biker groups adopted the flag,
tattooing the image on their bodies,
patching it on jackets and flying it
from their bumpers.
Newt Heisley sported the image on
his hat, lapel and license plate.
"Everyone knew it was Newt's flag,"
Allison said. "He would personally
sign them for people, that's what he
would do for years."
He never dreamed it would be a
national icon. He was simply "the ad
guy" around town.
"He was just
working for an ad agency. He came up
with the rendition of the flag,"
said his son, James Heisley. "At
first he was almost embarrassed, but
he got kind of used to it. It
defined his life."
Newt Heisley was proud of what the
flag meant. He was a C-46 transport
pilot in World War II in the
Pacific.
"It was typical to present it in
black-and-white and his idea was to
go back and do some color," James
Heisley said. "They came and looked
at it and said, ‘That's it.'"
Newt Heisley worked in advertising
for 25 years in big Manhattan
agencies before moving to Colorado
Springs to start an his own
advertising firm.
"He decided there had to be greener
pastures," James Heisley said. "He
almost took a job in Bermuda, but my
mom was a little leery of living on
an island. They said, ‘Let's head
West and see what we can see.' They
were on the way to California and
pulled into a hotel room in Colorado
Springs in the dark. In the morning
he saw Pikes Peak and said, ‘Bunny,
we aren't going any further.'"
He retired from Heisley Design and
Advertising in 1987.
"He didn't expect to get any
recognition. If he had a nickel for
every time that image appeared, he
and I'd be multi-multi
millionaires," James Heisley said.
"Newt always said it was better as
public image."
He also is survived by another son,
Jeffrey N., who modeled for the
silhouette on the flag;
daughters-in-law Susan Heisley and
Deborah Heisley; and granddaughter
Sara Heisley.