I want to share a story with you, that has appeared in various forms in the press, on television, and on the Internet. But it is worth repeating, and I am going to quote it precisely from Leepson’s book and hope that he doesn’t mind.

This is a story about the flag: my flag, your flag, our flag.

The American flag proved to be an unequivocally positive symbol during the Vietnam War to the  men held as prisoners of war in Hanoi. The U.S. Navy pilot Michael Christian, who was shot down in North Vietnam and taken prisoner on April 24, 1967, was perhaps the most devoted to the flag. When he was held in the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison camp, Christian fashioned an American flag out  a few ragged bits of red and white cloth that he sewed into the inside of his prison-issue blue pajamas with a bamboo needle.

"Every afternoon we would hang Mike’s shirt on the wall of our cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance," said U.S. Sen. John McCain, a former navy pilot who was held with Christian. "For those men in that stark prison cell, it was indeed the most important and meaningful event of our day." When the prison guards discovered the flag in 1971, they beat Christian mercilessly, battering his face and breaking his ribs. While recovering from his wounds, Christian secretly made a replacement flag.

A few days after the beating, "Mike approached me, He said ‘Major, they got the flag, but they didn’t get the needle I made it with. If you agree, I’m making another flag,’ " said Air Force colonel George "Bud" Day, a Medal of Honor recipient held at the Hanoi Hilton from 1967 to 1973. "My answer was, ‘Do it.’ "

It took Christian "several weeks" to make that second flag, Day said. After he finished it, "there was never a day from that day forward that the Stars and Stripes did not fly in my room, with forty American pilots proudly saluting."

Al Kroboth, a U.S. Marine Corps A-6 navigator, was shot down July 7, 1972, over South Vietnam. Severely wounded, he was forced to march to the Hanoi Hilton where he was held until March 27, 1973, when the North Vietnamese released him and the other American POWs. When he saw the U.S. Air Force transport plane land in Hanoi to pick up the POWs that day, Kroboth said, he did not feel emotional until he noticed the large American flag painted on the airplane’s tail.

"That flag," he told the novelist Pat Conroy, a college classmate.  "It had the biggest American flag on it I ever saw. To this day, I cry when I think of it. Seeing that flag, I started crying. I couldn’t see the plane; I just saw the flag. All the guys started cheering. But that flag … that flag."

Screen capture from Deborah’s Google news reader

And as much as I love the Lone Star flag (Larry too!), we are greatly relieved that the Texas primary elections are behind us now, because our Google news readers were swamped with hits for “Texas flag” and “Lone Star flag.” Hundreds of stories every day with Texas flag or Lone Star flag—often both—in the same story, and frequently repeated several times.

From the beginning of Flags Bay, I set up my Google reader to search for every state’s flag, and now as the politicians have traveled around the country on their campaigns, that state’s flag usually shows up in the news stories.

Only Ohio’s primary came anywhere near to producing as many flag stories as the Texas primary. Ohio’s pennant-shaped flag is unique among all the state flags, and was prominently features throughout the campaign process. But Wyoming’s flag was scarcely mentioned in their recent primary election, and Wyoming has a terrific flag!

On the maps below, from the The Washington Post, the states shown in white are states that have NOT held their primary elections. I hope those state flags will be featured if for no other reason than for me to build up my reserve stock of state flag photos!

maps of the Primaries from the Washington Post

*Larry likes to read about fast cars; I like to read about fast boats and fast airplanes—specifically P.T. boats and B-25 bombers. Go figure.

The 4-H youth programs still flourish in the areas where I grew up. There was an active group at every school and they participated in many national events. This story is about a local meeting and the importance of the American flag.

The Fergus Falls Daily Journal – 4-H’ers learn about flag
Citizenship was the focus of the recent monthly Carlisle-French 4-H Club meeting. As the meeting was held on Veteran’s Day, a presentation was given regarding the American flag. Club members learned flag history and flag etiquette. Each member present was given a flag and the flag folding ceremony was performed, with members learning the proper way to fold the flag.

Club officer Matt Grant led the club in flag folding, which he recently learned at a 4-H youth leadership camp.

Girl Scouts have a unique perspective into the lives of young ladies growing up. This article is about leadership and those young girls, seeing the world through different eyes.

The Citizen, Auburn NY
“Our initial research shows that for girls leadership is about the qualities one has, rather than about a specific role or function, and is often viewed as a clear means toward an end – to make a difference in the world,” says Judy Schoenberg, director of Research & Outreach for the Girl Scout Research Institute.

What leadership means to girls:

Girls view leadership as clear means toward an end, to make a difference in the world.

Many girls do not resonate with the traditional hierarchical leadership model. Girls view important leadership qualities as being a good listener, building consensus and ensuring that others are included, engaged and involved.

Two Eagle Scout projects involving flags and flagpoles in this story. It shows the commitment these young men have to serving their communities, and that is a good focus for an Eagle project.

The Enquirer – Scouts build flagpoles
Jeff Poore, 16, a junior from Conner High School, planned and coordinated the construction and landscaping for new flagpoles for the high school’s athletic field. The original flagpole was in disrepair and needed to be replaced, Jeff said.

He and a crew of 12 volunteers from the troop prepared space for three poles, one to fly the American flag, one for Kentucky’s state flag and one to wave the school’s colors.

He started planning the project in December.

Ben Longshore, 14, a freshman at St. Henry High School, learned in June that the Baptist Towers in Covington wanted a flagpole to fly the Stars and Stripes for its residents.

Ben began making plans.

He gathered donations from neighbors, relatives and his parents to fund the project. He purchased stepping stones and fire-engine-red Knockout rose bushes for the landscape surrounding the pole. He coordinated 15 volunteers to help with construction.

“Lynn Fessler from the Baptist Towers told me that 75-80 percent of the residents are veterans. I was glad to be able to do something for them, for what they did for us,” Ben said.

The origins of Scouting are in England where 100 years ago, Lord Baden-Powell started the first program. During this Centennial year of 2007, there have been many celebrations around the world. This one is at the heart of where Scouting began and will feature special flags from around the world.

Twins flag up 100-year milestone for world’s Scouts – Lancashire Evening Post
Twin’s Jade and Holly Whittle are flying the flag for Scouting.
Jade, from Deighton Avenue, Leyland, has been chosen to represent South Ribble at the 100 Years of Scouting celebrations being held at the Dome in London later this month – and she’ll be carrying a flag designed by sister Holly.

More than 1,000 scouts from all over the world will attend the event and will display the flag of their region.

The flag Jade will carry is the result of a design competition open to hundreds of scouts throughout South Ribble and won by Holly.

What caught my eye, was the Rowley’s comments about seeing the Texas state flag everywhere. It is something many Texans don’t think about because we grew up with it. The Lone Star is as common as the Stars and Stripes, whether in business or residential sections. Here at The Daily Flag offices, we fly both.

Scotsman.com Living – Travel – Texas has quirky side in Austin
WHERE have all the cowboys gone? Almost certainly to Texas, that most American of states, where even city-dwellers go about hatted and booted – as though they are more likely to ride a horse than a pick-up truck.

When you arrive on George Bush’s home patch, you quickly discover that the state’s Lone Star flag is as common a sight as the Stars and Stripes, fluttering from houses, hotels and car showrooms.

To understand where the famous Texan pride comes from, a visit to The Alamo in San Antonio is the obvious place to start.

Texans take their history very seriously and it was here, at a former chapel, that a motley band of vastly outnumbered rebels fought to the death against the Mexican army to safeguard their independence.

Emma, your words are kind, and you are welcome in Texas any time.

Designer’s record-breaking flag flies high | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle
Robert Heft is a flag connoisseur. While out driving, Heft, who designed America’s official 50-star flag as a high school project in 1958, can always spot Old Glory’s red and white bars waving in front of someone’s home.

“I notice flags like a beautician notices hair or a shoe salesman notices shoes,” said Heft, 65, of Thomas Township, Mich.

At 12:02 a.m. on Thursday, Heft’s 50-star design overtook the 48-star banner as the longest-serving flag in American history, with 47 years and one minute of service.

Heft said he received numerous calls from American and foreign news agencies as the milestone day approached.

“The story is out there,” he said. “I never thought when I designed the flag that it would outlast the 48-star flag.”

A highly sought orator, Heft’s packed schedule usually includes 225 speaking engagements a year.

There’s a lot of history tied up in Old Glory. Surviving flags from our history show how men of consequence felt about the Stars and Stripes. Many are preserved or restored and found in museums for all to see, and hear the stories each one tells.

Flags tell the story of our history – Framingham, MA – The Framingham Tab
Framingham -It’s flown over our heads for more than two centuries — red, white and blue, stars and stripes.

It’s been a symbol of partisan politics, and it has transcended politics.

But the American flag has rarely been a static form.

“The flag tells the story,” said Dana Ricciardi, curator of the Framingham Historical Society and Museum. She noted the famous photograph of soldiers raising a U.S. flag over the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II.

She said flags are often chosen for preservation because they are emblematic of the people who carried them and flew them.

The town’s own historical flag — now on display; for years the flag was stuck in a cupboard until its discovery in 1999 — is a 34-star version flown by the 13th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.

The well-worn flag was carried through the battles at Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg and elsewhere — 28 Framingham residents were part of that regiment, according to Ricciardi.

I’m proud of Harold and Tammy Travitz, but saddened by the lack of outrage from others for the absence of an American flag at the 4th of July celebration. The protocol for singing the National Anthem, is to face the flag, place your hand over your heart, and sing with gusto, but that’s not what happened last week in Tracy, California.

No flag with the rockets’ red glare
A Tracy man is upset that there was no flag during the Fourth of July national anthem. By Danielle MacMurchy

Glenn Moore/Tracy Press – RED, WHITE AND BLUE:Harold Travitz, who says he always displays his U.S. flag, unfurls the banner at his home on Friday. Travitz said he and his wife, Tammy, were upset by the Fourth of July celebration at Peter B. Kyne Field because there was no flag present during the singing of the national anthem.

For the past 10 years of Fourth of July holidays, Harold and Tammy Travitz have claimed the same bleacher seats near the flagpole at Tracy High’s Peter B. Kyne Field.

Travitz, who comes from a family of military men, looked forward to watching the American flag wave in the breeze at dusk before the fireworks show started this week.

But there was no flag waving at Wednesday’s evening celebration. The national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” was sung to an empty pole.

“Where’s the flag” the Travitz couple had yelled when the national anthem began to play.

Among the couple of hundred people in the stands, only a few others noticed or even stood, Travitz said.

Issued in October 1926, this red two-cent stamp was not created to honor the original event, but apparently to drum up support for the celebration honoring the 150th anniversary of the Battle of White Plains. A fine point to be sure, but the Post Office was unhappy about the expense of the stamp, so it was made in a smaller size to save money.

The image, which was taken from a painting by E.L. Ward titled “Alexander Hamilton’s Battery,” depicts a four-man Continental gun crew with cannon and ammunition from Captain Alexander Hamilton’s New York Colony Artillery Company. I have cross-referenced E.L. Ward, and the title of the painting, because I wanted to show readers the original, but I can find nothing more about it. Perhaps the name of the painter is wrong and/or the title of the painting is incorrect. If someone knows more about this stamp and the painting, please send me a note so I can correct this information.

The White Plains Battle Flag

Two flags are depicted at the bottom of the stamp. The Stars and Stripes is shown gathered into a swag, which was a common and traditional method of display in that time, but is now considered poor flag etiquette—in that the flag is supposed to fly unfettered and free. [U.S. Flag Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8(d)].

The other flag shown is the White Plains battle flag, carried by some of the American fighters on October 28, 1776 at the battle of White Plains, NY where George Washington’s Army opposed British General William Howe in what was considered the 4th and final battle for New York.

The Stars and Stripes originated as a result of a resolution adopted by the Marine Committee of the Second Continental Congress at Philadelphia on June 14, 1777. The resolution read: “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation.”

The resolution gave no instruction as to how many points the stars should have, nor how the stars should be arranged on the blue union. Consequently, some flags had stars scattered on the blue field without any specific design, some arranged the stars in rows, and some in a circle. The first Navy Stars and Stripes had the stars arranged in staggered formation in alternate rows of threes and twos on a blue field. Other Stars and Stripes flags had stars arranged in alternate rows of four, five and four. Some stars had six points while others had eight.

The Stars and Stripes first flew in a Flag Day celebration in Hartford, Connecticut in 1861, during the first summer of the Civil War. The first national observance of Flag Day occurred June 14, 1877, the centennial of the original flag resolution.

By the mid 1890s the observance of Flag Day on June 14 was a popular event. Mayors and governors began to issue proclamations in their jurisdictions to celebrate this event.

In the years to follow, public sentiment for a national Flag Day observance greatly intensified. Numerous patriotic societies and veterans groups became identified with the Flag Day movement. Since their main objective was to stimulate patriotism among the young, schools were the first to become involved in flag activities.

In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation calling for a nationwide observance of Flag Day on June 14. It was not until 1949 that Congress made this day a permanent observance by resolving “That the 14th day of June of each year is hereby designated as Flag Day . The measure was signed into law by President Harry Truman.

Although Flag Day is not celebrated as a Federal holiday, Americans everywhere continue to honor the history and heritage it represents.

Leepson’s book is meticulously researched, saturated with information about our country’s flag, and delightful to read. It’s like reading about a beloved relative—you know part of the story, but not the whole story. It’s our story, both good and bad.

At present, I use five reference books when writing about flags, and Marc Leepson’s FLAG is my favorite. It’s not fair to call it a reference book though, because that might imply that it’s dry and dusty, and I give you my word—it is not. It’s a terrific, interesting book.

FLAG is the perfect summer book, as we transit the solemn remembrances of Memorial Day, to the let-every-flag-wave day of June 14, to the light-up-the-sky Fourth of July.

Flag Day and National Flag Week, 2007

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

The American Flag represents freedom and has been an enduring symbol of our Nation’s ideals since the earliest days of our Nation. Wherever it flies, we are reminded of America’s unity and in the great cause of liberty and justice for all.

Two hundred and thirty years ago, the Second Continental Congress officially made the Stars and Stripes the symbol of America. The Founders declared that the 13 stars gracing the original flag represented “a new constellation,” just as America embodied new hope and new light for mankind. Today, our flag continues to convey the bold spirit of a proud and determined Nation.

Americans have long flown our flag as a sign of patriotism and gratitude for the blessings of liberty. We also pledge allegiance to the flag as an expression of loyalty to our country and to the belief in the American creed of freedom and justice. By displaying and showing respect for the flag, we honor the ideals upon which our democracy rests and show appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy today. Flying the flag can also be an expression of thanks for the men and women who have served and sacrificed in defense of our freedoms — from the early patriots of the Continental Army to the courageous Americans in uniform who are defending those freedoms around the world today.

During Flag Day and National Flag Week, we honor Old Glory and reflect on the foundations of our freedom. As citizens of this great Nation, we are proud of our heritage, grateful for our liberty, and confident in our future.

To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint resolution approved August 3, 1949, as amended (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of each year as “Flag Day” and requested that the President issue an annual proclamation calling for its observance and for the display of the flag of the United States on all Federal Government buildings. The Congress also requested, by joint resolution approved June 9, 1966, as amended (80 Stat. 194), that the President issue annually a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as “National Flag Week” and calling upon all citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2007, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 10, 2007, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate officials to display the flag on all Federal Government buildings during that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by flying the Stars and Stripes from their homes and other suitable places. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activities, and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Beacon Journal | 05/24/2007 | To her, it’s a grand old flag
Girls in the mid-’60s asked for bicycles with banana seats and Barbie dolls for their 10th birthdays. But not Patty.

“I want a flagpole,” she told her stepdad, George Tittle (figuring it would come complete with an American flag).

He was happy to oblige. The little girl’s gift was in the front yard when she arrived home from Akron’s Harris Elementary School on Sept. 10, 1963.

Barely out of the starting gate of life, Patty was patriotic. That hasn’t changed over the years. Though she has no family fighting in Iraq, after the United States went to war, the Green mother of three retrieved a Christmas tree from the crawl space beneath her home and decorated it with red, white and blue lights and ornaments.

Each day, the lights come on at 5 p.m. and remain lighted until the wee hours of the morning.

The sixth graders wanted to do something special for the school, and decided to raise money to replace the flag pole. The school could afford the pole, but the students insisted. NICE!

JG-TC.com > News > Jefferson sixth graders raise money to replace flag pole
CHARLESTON — Leaving a school with a leaning flag pole and faded flag just isn’t something sixth-graders should do.

That’s why Brooke Homann and her classmates think it’s a good idea to raise money to replace the pole and flag at Jefferson Elementary School. The flag pole in front of the school will also be moved to a slightly different location so it will be easier to gather around, Brooke explained.

“It will make our school look a lot better,” she said.

Brooke is the head of a committee of students in Beth Lustig’s sixth-grade class working on raising money for the pole, flag and a light for the base of the pole. They hope to raise at least $1,000, and school Principal Debbie Poffinbarger said the school will make up the difference if they don’t get the estimated $2,500 to cover it all.

A Good Luck flag? I’ve ever heard of a flag as a good luck charm, but the Simmons family has one. Read this story for, what Paul Harvey calls, “The rest of the story.”

The Kaufman Herald
When he heads back to the Middle East, he won’t be alone. In his possession will be something that he credits for helping him make it through his first ordeal. Call it a family heirloom or just a good luck charm, but it’s something Evans said he won’t leave home without: a well-traveled Texas flag.

“My grandfather carried it through World War II; my uncle through his tour in Vietnam and my cousin through his tour in Desert Storm,” Evans said. “They all came back safe.”

Evans’ grandfather, John R. Simmons Sr., actually carried the flag with him on D-Day at Omaha Beach as well as into the Battle of Huertgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge. Evans’ uncle, Forest L. Simmons, carried it in Di An, Nui Ba Den and Xuan Loc while his cousin Donald W. Simmons had it with him in Desert Storm.

“Every time I went outside the wire, that flag went with me,” Evans said. “It was even with me when I got blown up.”