A Memorial Day Suggestion

Clicking on the new “Home and Away” section on the CNN Site helps put the reason for this  time in perspective

emotionally.  Numbers are appalling, but  seeing the  individual  faces of  the men and women who died in Iraq and

Afghanistan is really moving.   Along with photos are anecdotes about the individuals and maps showing

hometowns.

At The Flag Factory, we continuously meet people who have lost family or friends in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Meeting

these people has  left us with a sense of the enormity of each loss.  Looking at the CNN site helps you understand

how many people are grieving all over the United States and allied countries.

POW/MIA

Memorial Day is synonymous  with the American flag.  U.S.  Flags on graves, U.S. flags in parades, U.S. flags on home flagpoles.

Yet, there is another flag that The Flag Factory customers associate with Memorial Day; its the POW/MIA flag.

It’s meaning is not just the obvious, but people   use it to say we remember those who serve and have served, those

who returned and those who never returned.

The flag was first conceived in 1971 by Mrs. Michael Hoff a member of the National League of Families . Her husband

was missing in action and she decided to find a way to honor him and others in similar situations.  Mrs. Hoff

contacted Annin, a U.S. flagmaker in the business of making flags in the U.S.A. since 1847.  Mr. Norman Rivkees, an

Annin vice president, and an advertising agency designed the flag.

The flag design was approved by the National League of Families.  The 105th U.S. Congress passed an authorization

act stating the the League’s POW/MIA should be flown at National Cemeteries, War Memorials,  The White House,

Military Installations,  and the offices of the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Veterans affairs on POW/MIA Recognition Day, which is the third Friday in September.

U.S. Flags fly in Red Square and European Cities

U.S. flags flew in Europe and even in Red Square in Moscow on May 7 and May 8, 2010 during events celebrating

the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.   In Russia, U.S. troops marched with French, British, and

Polish troops celebrating the Allied victory along with the Russians.

The Nazis surrendered to the Allies in Rheims France on May 7, 1945.  On May 8, 1945 the Nazis formally surrendered

in Berlin.

Tea Party or Whiskey Rebellion ?

Taking their name and inspiration from the Boston Tea Party of 1773, “Tea Party” rallies have become  popular as a way to express disagreement with taxes and various government programs. Although it was created a few years after the actual Boston Tea Party, the “Dont Tread on Me” Gadsden flag (shown here) is usually seen in great numbers at the modern rallies and seems to be the de facto flag to represent the movement. 

Gadsden Flag

However, it could be argued that another historical event and its associated flag might be a more appropriate symbol for tax protesters. The Boston Tea Party was staged to protest taxes on tea that the British goverment had levied on the American colonies despite the colonies having no one to represent them in Parliament.  But The Whiskey Rebellion was the first major protest by U.S. citizens against taxes levied by the U.S. government. In 1791, Congress imposed a tax on whiskey as a way to help pay off the debts the new government has incurred in fighting the Revolutionay War.  The tax was very unpopular and sparked many localized protests and rallies over the next few years, particularly in western Pennsylvania. Some of these turned violent, involving tarring & feathering of tax agents, burning of buildings and several deaths. The Rebellion reached its peak in and around Pittsburgh in 1794 with the death of a local farmer and the narrow escape of a tax collector from his burning home that had been set ablaze by an angry mob. President George Washington dispatched an army of over 12,000 troops to quell the revolt and personally led it halfway to Pittsburgh. By the time the army arrived, a peaceful end to the rebellion had been negotiated by an advance delegation of government representitives and the army withdrew without firing a shot.

A flag of the period displayed in a local inn has come to be regarded as the “Whiskey Rebellion Flag” . Although it is unclear if this flag had any actual connection to the historical event.  The Flag Factory offers two interpretations of the Whiskey Rebellion flag. www.TheFlagFactory.com

Whiskey Rebellion Flag – A

 

Welcome to The Flag Factory Blog

This is the first entry in our blog, which we will update frequently with information about flags that we hope you will find informative and interesting. The Flag Factory is western Pennsylvania’s leading flag dealer, serving commercial clients and individuals since 1985 from our store in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and on-line at http://www.TheFlagFactory.com. We feature top quality flags and flagpoles made in the USA.