Veteran’s Memorial Park was once again waving the red, white and blue in honor of the 239th birthday of our nation’s flag. The Flag Day ceremony this year took on a somber note in the wake of the Orlando tragedy as the American flags were flown at half staff. For the hour long ceremony, the American flag was raised to full staff. At the conclusion, it was again lowered to half staff until sunset on June 16 per a proclamation from President Obama to honor the Orlando victims.
The hot sun did not stop a crowd of about 75 people from attending this year’s ceremonies.
Linda Pursell from the Village of Santiago attends the ceremony every year and flies her American flag at her home 365 days a year.
“It’s my way of honoring family and friends who have fought for that flag and aren’t coming home,” she said.
President and Honor Guard Commander Richard Simpson started the ceremonies by welcoming everyone with a Call to Colors and a simple statement.
“When you see the flag flying, remember to salute to honor the men and women who died for us,” he said.
Kevin Selfridge of the Villages Sounds of Scotland played “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Grand Old Flag” on the bagpipes while the service and organizational flags were presented and displayed.
The invocation was led by Tom Miller, VMP Chaplain who asked that we pray for peace in our country in this time of need.
“This country is where our hearts lie. It’s where we pledge allegiance to our flag. Protect our country from our enemies, inside and outside of our boundaries,” he said.
The flag-folding ceremony was performed by the VMP Honor Guard with Ursula Simpson, wife of VMP President Richard Simpson, reading a poem written by John Brown titled Salute The Flag.
Bob Turner, Retired US Navy was the guest speaker and summed up the meaning of Flag Day with this appropriate statement.
“Our flag makes us proud. Our flag has seen hard times. It has been under constant attack. It was carried in fierce battle. The flag is displayed in defiance of our enemies. It should have honor and respect,” he said.
Flag Day is celebrated every year on June 14, and it honors the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on June 14, 1777. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day.
