Flag
Day 2008
The
setting was Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, a rainy day, and it was June 14, 2008, a Saturday, Flag
Day - a time to
remember and celebrate our flag and a time to retire from service,
many torn and
tattered flags that had served their country well.
The onslaught of
continuous rain, minimized the quantity of citizens, but in no way, dampened
the spirits of
those patriots who stood waiting for the ceremonies to
begin. It rained
from early in the day until just before the ceremony as if to
cleanse all the
pollution and impurities from the air and
made
pure this occasion that is too
often excluded from our calendars. South Park is home
to "By the
Dawns Early Light" Flag Retirement Plaza, a one-of-a-kind facility
that provides a
location for patriotic reflection and
the
proper retirement of our
nations symbol. Designed with the help of John Kovach, Jr., a former
Marine and
sergeant first class in the Pennsylvania National Guard, the hexagonal
plaza is surrounded
by seven flag poles - one for each branch of the military
and one for the
American flag - with a burn pit in the center. A deposit box
on the site allows
visitors to leave soiled, damaged and tattered flags to be
incinerated during
future ceremonies.
Presentation of the colors
and POW/MIA Flag followed Linda*&*Jeanie, The Hilltop Singers',
patriotic
rendition of their song
"Liberty's Bell". Flags from all branches of the Armed Forces were
raised by their
representatives. The National Anthem was sung and the ceremony
began. A teacher
sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee" while her students signed the
song for the
audience. Flags from 48 of the 50 states were presented for
retirement. The
presentation of these flags by boy scouts was followed by the
flags being gently
opened and draped in the pit to be torched by many
elected officials,
Brigadeer General Dave Papak, United States Marine Corp, Ambassador Charles Ray
- Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Affairs and
others. There were
many Vietnam Vets in attendance as well as representatives from
other eras.
Authors Joyce Faulkner and Pat McGrath Avery gave tribute to Sherman
Jones, a Sunchon
Tunnel Massacre Survivor who was also in attendance.
Then a tribute to our
fallen heroes included Linda*&*Jeanie's harmonious arrangement of "Only the Name"
followed by "Taps"
performed a capella.
Many badges of courage were represented on this day and it is hoped
that the faded glory of a
flag that served it's country well will take on new meaning for the youth
of our
country. Perhaps the young people learned the importance of
respecting this symbol of
our security and freedom. The key is respect. Respect for our flag,
and our
country. Respect for others. It is our hope that the Plaza will
facilitate the
retirement of our nations emblem with the respect and dignity it
deserves for
years to come.
