Posted on 06/16/2014 1:47:19 PM PDT by SandRat
SIERRA VISTA — For more than 100 years Elks lodges throughout the country have been holding special ceremonies to honor Flag Day.
It began with a lodge in Texas in 1908 said Shirley Dixon, the exalted ruler of SierraVista Elks Lodge 2065.
Saturday the special ceremony was held outside, at the lodge’s ramada area, attended by more than 150 people.
Sitting in the audience were six World War II veterans, as special guests, as the 70th anniversary of the end of that war closes happens in 2015 — May when Germany surrendered and September when Japan signed its surrender documents.
Boy Scouts from Troop 444 took part in a presenting the history of the U.S. Flag, carrying in period banners from Revolutionary War to the present, which eventually saw the creation of the 13 stars and 13 stripes nearly a year after the American colonies declared independence on July 4, 1776, to the current 50 star and 13 stripes, which recognizes all of today’s states, based on their ratification of the U.S. Constitution — from the first of Delaware to the last of Hawaii. The 13 stripes honor the original 13 colonies who rose in rebellion against England.
As each flag was presented, the 62nd Army Band from Fort Huachuca played era-appropriate music. June 14 is also Army Day, recognizing its establishment on that day in 1775.
Historically it meant first an Army was formed, in 1775, independence was declared in 1776 and a flag created under which to fight for freedom in 1777.
As the scouts place the flags in holders, a continuing stiff breeze caused them to wave, almost constantly.
But there was one particular flag, which Republican State Sen. Gail Griffin talked about.
The 48-star flag of World War II.
The flag which was raised on the top of Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, by five Marines and a Navy Corpsman in February 1945.
Griffin, who represents Legislative District 14, gave a brief biography of each of the six-flag raisers, noting a smaller flag had been initially raised but a larger one was needed and it was that one which was snapped by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal — who later won a Pulitzer Prize for the iconic picture.
It was Sgt. Mike Strank, who was in charge of the men who raised the second flag who told his men the larger flag was needed “so every Maine on this cruddy island can see it.”
And seen it was according to Navy historic records for Americans on the island yelled and the ships of the invasion fleet sounded heir horns, raising such a cacophony of noise Japanese defenders came out of their defensive caves to determine what was happening.
Strank in his mid-20s was killed-in-action less than a week later. Two other of the flag raisers died on Iwo Jima after the flag raising Cpl. Harlon Block and Pfc. Franklin Sousley. Block was 21 and Sousley, 19, Griffin said.
The other three who survived the war were Pfc. Rene Gagnon, who died in 1979; Petty Officer 2nd Class John Bradley, died in 1994 and Pfc. Ira Hayes, who died in 1955.
Griffin noted Hayes was born in the Arizona community of Saceton and was a Pima Indian.
He didn’t like the publicity and when he reluctantly attended the dedication of the Iwo Jima Monument in Washington, a statue of the flag-raising he was asked how he liked the pomp and circumstances to which Hayes, who turned to alcohol after the war and died three months after the Iwo Jim Monument was dedicated after a night of heavy drinking, replied, “I don’t,” the state senator said.
To the veterans in the audience, Griffin said, “Thank you for protecting our freedoms and liberties, for loving our county.”
David Dean sang Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.,” during which the audience stood and sang the refrain: “I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free, And I won’t forget the men who died who gave that right to me, And I gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today, ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God Bless the U.S.A.,” four times.
The ceremony ended on a somber note with three cadets from the Buena High School Army JROTC, two carrying rifles on either side of another holding an American flag folded in the traditional triangle, but no longer serviceable, was marched to a burn pit for destruction in the approved manner — by flames.
“Taps” was sounded and the flag placed into the fire, suddenly bursting into bright orange flames, with white smoke raising, as the cadets, scouts and most of the audience saluting or putting their hands over their hearts.
Dixon closed the ceremony saying, “Let us all dedicate ourselves to the flag of the United States and what it means.”
Saw a ton of old fashioned patrotism at
the Smyrna Air show this week-end..the
place was packed.Singing along to Greenwood
there too.
Go Blue Angels.
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