Red Bull Raised For Carlos Puente-Morales, Police Officer and Veteran

Red Bull raised to honor fallen Des Moines officer
The Des Moines Register
MacKenzie Elmer
April 1, 2016

Senior police officer Jason Hays wanted to do something to commemorate fellow Des Moines officer Carlos Puente-Morales' service as a soldier. The fallen officer, who died Saturday in a crash on Interstate 80, served under Hays in the military and then alongside him as his brother in blue.

Photo: Des Moines Police Department

Hays requested a second flag be added at half-staff to the pole outside the Des Moines police station Thursday afternoon. The Red Bull, a symbol worn by the 34th Infantry Division of the National Guard since World War I, now flies just below the American flag.

"To us, it has a lot of significance," Hays said. "We painted red bulls all over Afghanistan. It's a patch we wear on our shoulders."

Puente-Morales was deployed twice overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan for the Iowa Army National Guard. Hays was his captain, but said Puente-Morales stood out among the hundred or so soldiers under his command.
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