The first thing I want to say is there is nothing offensive intended or intentional in this post. Please do not take this in any way other than me sharing a story that is dear to my heart.
Today June 14th is national flag day.
This is just a story I wanted to reflect with my OldMiniBikes friends and family.
Folding the flag has been a pet peeve of mine for a long long time. It is horrific to watch some of the flags being folded at a funeral for our military veterans. Most of the time it is snappy and correct but there is the occasion that it is sloppy and sad. I attended the funeral of my high school girlfriends father. He was a proud Naval veteran. He served on the sister ship to the USS Yorktown and for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the ship. I was 17 at the time he told me this. We were in his cabin cruiser in the Charleston harbor as they placed the USS Yorktown in her final resting place in the harbor to become the great history museum she is today. His grandson, my ex girlfriends son, is a proud Marine and the service members that were there for the ceremony were sharp and snappy. It was the finest ceremony I had ever witnessed at a funeral. A friend that was also retired Navy had the saddest. Taps was played on a cassette player and there was not a gun salute. Plus the flag was very sadly folded by sloppily dressed sailors. It really got under my skin to see this.
My obsession with folding the flag goes back to the 3rd or 4th grade (65 or 66 or 67) when I was given the duty to put up and take down the flag everyday. The school principal, Mr. Reemes, was a WW1 veteran and he taught us how to properly fold the flag and how to show respect for it. I proudly folded that flag for the entire school year. And have had a strong opinion about properly folding and storing the flag ever since.
Today on the news they highlighted that it was national flag day and then showed the proper way to fold the flag along with the meaning of each fold. Somehow for all these years I had never heard that the folds had meaning or what those meanings were. It was quit an emotional experience for me. I thought I would share it with you. Some of you will be familiar with these reasons and some like me will have missed them some how. This made me sad that I didn't learn this until I was 63 years old.
This is copied and pasted from the internet.
Meaning of Flag-Folding Program
The flag-folding ceremony represents the same religious principles on which our great country was originally founded.
The portion of the flag denoting honor is the canton of blue containing the stars representing states our veterans served in uniform. The canton field of blue dresses from left to right and is inverted only when draped as a pall on the casket of a veteran who has served our country honorably in uniform.
In the U.S. Armed Forces, at the ceremony of retreat, the flag is lowered, folded in a triangle fold and kept under watch throughout the night as a tribute to our nation’s honored dead. The next morning it is brought out and, at the ceremony of reveille, run aloft as a symbol of our belief in the resurrection of the body.
Symbols for the Folds of the Flag
The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.
The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks, and who gave a portion of his or her life for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.
The fourth fold represents our weaker nature; as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace, as well as in times of war, for His divine guidance.
The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right, but it is still our country, right or wrong.”
The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces, for it is through the armed forces that we protect our country and our flag against all enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor our mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.
The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
The 10th fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since he or she was first born.
The 11th fold, in the eyes of Hebrew citizens, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The 12th fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost.
When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”
After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it has the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under Gen. George Washington and the sailors and Marines who served under Capt. John Paul Jones and were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the U.S. Armed Forces, preserving for us the rights, privileges and freedoms we enjoy today.
Again my intent is not to offend anyone but to share a story that I found very interesting and meaningful to me.
Today June 14th is national flag day.
This is just a story I wanted to reflect with my OldMiniBikes friends and family.
Folding the flag has been a pet peeve of mine for a long long time. It is horrific to watch some of the flags being folded at a funeral for our military veterans. Most of the time it is snappy and correct but there is the occasion that it is sloppy and sad. I attended the funeral of my high school girlfriends father. He was a proud Naval veteran. He served on the sister ship to the USS Yorktown and for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the ship. I was 17 at the time he told me this. We were in his cabin cruiser in the Charleston harbor as they placed the USS Yorktown in her final resting place in the harbor to become the great history museum she is today. His grandson, my ex girlfriends son, is a proud Marine and the service members that were there for the ceremony were sharp and snappy. It was the finest ceremony I had ever witnessed at a funeral. A friend that was also retired Navy had the saddest. Taps was played on a cassette player and there was not a gun salute. Plus the flag was very sadly folded by sloppily dressed sailors. It really got under my skin to see this.
My obsession with folding the flag goes back to the 3rd or 4th grade (65 or 66 or 67) when I was given the duty to put up and take down the flag everyday. The school principal, Mr. Reemes, was a WW1 veteran and he taught us how to properly fold the flag and how to show respect for it. I proudly folded that flag for the entire school year. And have had a strong opinion about properly folding and storing the flag ever since.
Today on the news they highlighted that it was national flag day and then showed the proper way to fold the flag along with the meaning of each fold. Somehow for all these years I had never heard that the folds had meaning or what those meanings were. It was quit an emotional experience for me. I thought I would share it with you. Some of you will be familiar with these reasons and some like me will have missed them some how. This made me sad that I didn't learn this until I was 63 years old.
This is copied and pasted from the internet.
Meaning of Flag-Folding Program
The flag-folding ceremony represents the same religious principles on which our great country was originally founded.
The portion of the flag denoting honor is the canton of blue containing the stars representing states our veterans served in uniform. The canton field of blue dresses from left to right and is inverted only when draped as a pall on the casket of a veteran who has served our country honorably in uniform.
In the U.S. Armed Forces, at the ceremony of retreat, the flag is lowered, folded in a triangle fold and kept under watch throughout the night as a tribute to our nation’s honored dead. The next morning it is brought out and, at the ceremony of reveille, run aloft as a symbol of our belief in the resurrection of the body.
Symbols for the Folds of the Flag
The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.
The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks, and who gave a portion of his or her life for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.
The fourth fold represents our weaker nature; as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace, as well as in times of war, for His divine guidance.
The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right, but it is still our country, right or wrong.”
The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The seventh fold is a tribute to our armed forces, for it is through the armed forces that we protect our country and our flag against all enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor our mother, for whom it flies on Mother’s Day.
The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
The 10th fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since he or she was first born.
The 11th fold, in the eyes of Hebrew citizens, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The 12th fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost.
When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”
After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it has the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under Gen. George Washington and the sailors and Marines who served under Capt. John Paul Jones and were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the U.S. Armed Forces, preserving for us the rights, privileges and freedoms we enjoy today.
Again my intent is not to offend anyone but to share a story that I found very interesting and meaningful to me.
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