The American flag is a symbol of national pride, whether displayed in front of homes and businesses, in the corner of a classroom or held high throughout a parade route.
On Tuesday morning, Seymour Elks Lodge 462 hosted its annual Flag Day ceremony complete with a history of the U.S. flag.
Rick Borges, the emcee for the event, said people could attend the ceremony because they had the freedom to assemble and be there, and that’s what Flag Day is all about.
“Today, our flag flies in many parts of the world,” Borges said. “It is shot at and bombed, but it cannot be destroyed, and that’s because the real American flag is in our hearts.”
Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson spoke about how the first official flag of the United States was adopted June 14, 1777, by an act of Congress. In 1949, Congress designated National Flag Day, which was to be celebrated on June 14 each year.
“Flag Day celebrates our nation’s symbol of unity and stands for our country’s devotion,” Nicholson said as he proclaimed June 14, 2022, as Flag Day in the city.
The Seymour Elks Honor Guard presented the history of the American flag, showcasing eight different versions, and lodge member Jim Erp talked about each one, from the yellow Don’t Tread on Me flag featuring the image of a rattlesnake to the current 50-star flag featuring 13 stripes.
“The symbol of the flag that represents our country has gone through many forms, and it has changed just as our country has changed,” Erp said. “Americans have lived and died for this flag, and each one holds an important part of history.”
Lodge member and officer Dick Moren attended the event and said they have been having the Flag Day ceremony for many years.
“These are the flags of the United States that made us what we are, and it’s very impressive,” Moren said. “This is the greatest country in the world.”
Don Hill, past Indiana Elks Americanism chairman, said he had a story to tell about all different sizes of flags and all different sizes of people waving those flags.
“My story is mainly about veterans, and of course, veterans and flags go together,” Hill said. “In mid-April, 86 veterans from the state of Indiana were honored by the Indy Honor Flight organization, made up totally of volunteers.”
He said the organization’s purpose is to transport every veteran in the state and fly them to Washington, D.C., and spend the day there visiting the war memorials.
“I was lucky and fortunate enough to be on that 33rd Indy Honor Flight, of which two more flights have taken place since then,” Hill said. “The organization is one of the best directed organizations I’ve ever seen, and every second, every minute of that trip was planned and taken care of.”
This trip was comprised of 86 veterans from across the state. They ranged from 70 to 100 years of age. Each veteran had a guardian to accompany them. Hill was pleased to have his daughter, Suzi, go with him.
Hill said he was one of the few Korean War veterans on the trip. There were only three or four veterans from World War II, and most of them had already been deployed as well as most of the Korean War vets. Most of the group on the Indy Honor Flight were Vietnam War veterans.
“Once in Washington, D.C., we headed to the World War II Memorial, which was huge, it was grand and it was glorious, as it should be, and there was a column for each state,” Hill said. “We spent some time there and then headed off to the Korean and Vietnam memorials, and in my case, the Korean memorial was the highlight.”
“The Korean War memorial was just the opposite of the World War II Memorial, and it was not grand or glorious,” Hill said. “It was a rifle squad wading through the rice paddies with rain gear and a rifle and you could tell the eyes were watching.”
Hill said it’s known as the “Forgotten War,” and he does not want it to be forgotten, so he and his daughter handed out cards to people at the memorial.
“When people thank me for my service, I have a card I give to them. On one side of the card reads ‘I wear this Korean War veteran’s cap because I can,’” Hill said. “I returned unharmed. Those on the other side of this card either did not return or came home wounded physically or mentally. I want to keep the memory of those alive.”
On the other side, the card reads “36,574 Americans killed in action / 103,284 Americans wounded in action / 92 Americans killed since the cease fire / 7,800 Americans still missing in action.”
“At the Vietnam War memorial, there was a respect and a silence,” Hill said.
He said the group also visited Arlington National Cemetery and saw Audie Murphy’s monument. Murphy was an American war hero and actor who was one of the most decorated U.S. soldiers of World War II.
“Then we went to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we were given priority seating and were close to the guards and heard their heels click as they turned, and it was precision at its top,” Hill said.
The Tomb Guard marches exactly 21 steps for 21 seconds, click, turns and takes another 21 steps down the mat and repeats the process. The number 21 symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed, the 21-gun salute.
“Honors were bestowed upon us everywhere we went and there were crowds at airports, people holding ‘Thank you for your service’ signs and hundreds of well-wishers,” Hill said. “The largest group being the standing-room-only crowd at the Decatur Central High School gymnasium upon our arrival home late that night and each veteran was introduced by name and rank.”
Hill said he thought about how the Vietnam veterans didn’t get treated right when they came back home from the war, so this was their homecoming.