A senior moment today prevents me from remembering what they call the staff on the front of a tow. I think I know, but I don't want to sound totally ignorant by using the wrong term.
Normally the staff flies the flag of the company that owns the boat doing the pushing. Sometimes crews use a different flag. I've seen some tows with the black MIA flag.
But yesterday evening I watched a boat go under a bridge and it had this flag up at the head of the tow. I began wondering if it meant something about the political leanings of the crew ...
... then I remembered the boat was the Brenda L. Murray II of Murray American Transportation. That company is a subsidiary of the coal mining company owned by Robert Murray, who leaves people with no doubts that he supports President Donald Trump. The last time I saw Murray in person was here in Huntington a couple of years ago when he was walking toward the VIP entrance to a Trump rally.
Mystery solved.
