What caught Drew Casey’s attention to the very worn and tattered United States flag at R-2 school, I don’t know. Perhaps it’s because he was once a Marine with the 9th Engineer Support Batallion in Communications.
Whatever the reason, in the summer of 2024, Casey noted the deplorable condition and vowed to rectify it. He brought it to the attention of the Warsaw Leathernecks where he serves as Seargent at Arms. They quickly agreed it should be handled and put him in charge of the project.
The project took place during the months of August and September, and during that time, the group presented new flags to the Lincoln R-2, Cole Camp R-1 and Warsaw North, Warsaw South and the Warsaw High School and John Boise Middle School campus.
When questioned if the Leathernecks have a ceremony for burning the old flags, Derek stated, “No, we gather them and give them to the Legion and they hold a burning and ceremony every 4th of July.”
Wondering if the Leathernecks had ever done anything like this before Casey responded, “No, this is a first time.”
Somehow I doubt if it’s the last.
Casey is married to Logan Schnewerk and together they reside with their daughters, Briar and Bellemy in the Feaster Branch neighborhood and are in the Lincoln school district. He is the Branch Manager for Crescent Parts & Equipment in Sedalia.
His parents are Kerrie Casey, Lincoln’s City Water Clerk, and Huey David Casey, Maintenance Manager at the City Mission. Casey grew up in the Lincoln area along with older brother, Josiah Lee and brother, Seth, a Lincoln City Councilman, and a sister, Morgan Hudson.
While in the Marines, he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan and served 4 ½ years from 2013-2017. Now that he’s back home, he wants to be part of his community and make a difference where he resides and is raising his family. He has filed for the Lincoln R-2 School Board in the April 2025 election. A plan he had intended to announce with a float in the Lincoln Christmas Parade before Mother Nature turned it into a total washout.
As we enter into the New Year of 2025, it is reassuring to know our community has such civic minded young people to take the helm and help preserve our way of life.
