Students Trample on Old Glory

[Teresa]

Whew~
can I now be excused to go play with my guns?
Purty Please?

[W. Gray]

As far as I know, there is no other country in the world that folds their flag the way we do.

[Wilma]

Some of the American Legion men at Severy could fold the flag so that nothing but blue and stars was visible no matter how you looked at it.  And it seems to me that the men at Winfield folded my uncle's flag correctly, too.  I'll bet our own Legion men can do it.

[flo]

when correctly folded the white edging should be left which is what is brought up and tucked in under the stars, then only blue is showing.  It is very difficult to get it folded correctly.  I attended a funeral with soldiers from McConnell doing the military honors.  The flag was removed and folded at the church.  They unfolded the flag twice and redone it to get it right in the end, and they did finally.  Lewis' flag was folded and presented to me at the cemetary by the VFW in Eureka, and it has never been unfolded.  It is displayed in a proper flag case and have thought many times that it should be flown, but just can't bring myself to do it.  

[Wilma]

While on the subject of the proper way to handle our flag, I have this question.  Has anyone else noticed that when the flag is hung flat on a wall that sometimes the star field appears to be in the upper right hand corner instead of the upper left hand corner?  Or does it make a difference?  It does to me because when the flag is hanging from a pole or rope the star field is at the top and if you take hold of the other top corner and hold it up and face it, the star field is in the upper left hand corner.  I even saw it this way on a cake that had been decorated as a flag and was being served at a political function.

[dnalexander]

Only blue and stars, all sides and all angles. Hard to do but it is proper flag etiquette. I did it as a Boy Scout for our Flag test. May have to find a Boy Scout, Military Color Guard, or a Legion Color Guard member to get it done. You can never show too much respect. 

David

[W. Gray]

I have noticed on the news from time to time that some of our soldiers are wearing an American flag patch on the shoulder of their combat fatigues and the flag is backwards. That is the blue field is to the right and the stripes flow to the left.

It does not look right but is proper according to an Army regulation from a web site:

The regulation states that when authorized for application to the proper uniform the American flag patch is to be worn, right or left shoulder, so that "the star field faces forward, or to the flag's own right. When worn in this manner, the flag is facing to the observer's right, and gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward. The appropriate replica for the right shoulder sleeve is identified as the 'reverse side flag'."

[sixdogsmom]

I know how you feel Flo, Dons' flag is still folded and has the spent shells from the military gun salute tucked inside. The flag was presented to me as well as the spent shells at the cemetary. I have tucked in his I.D. card and display it in a flag case. Sad memories.

[dnalexander]

With the Fourth of July coming I thought it would be fitting to put a link to the government's official information on the Flag Code. On past Fourth of July's I have used disposable items that had Flags or parts of Flags on them. Technically a violation of the Flag Code even if you do it with patriotic purpose. In honor of the 4th of July I urge you all to take a look at US Flag Code and proper etiquette. I hope that in doing so you learn something new and it brings a warm feeling to you knowing that you live in the best country in the world. Happy Fourth of July and don't forget to honor our military men and women past and present.

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/misc/ourflag/titlepage.htm

David

[flo]

sixdogsmom, I also was given the spent shells.  What I done with them is this.  My son-in-law built a smaller display case the same shape as the flag case.  In it I put the last pic. taken before he shipped out for Korea, his dog tags, his billfold size discharge, his stripes and the spent shells.  On the lower front is inscribed In Memory of Lewis D. Smith.