Issue 30.16
During the recent 4th of July celebration in St. George I sat and pondered on the evening’s events. The pledge of allegiance was recited, the national anthem was sung, small U.S. flags were passed out and were being waved and an impressive array of “bombs bursting in air” capped off the night.
The fireworks display was a spectacular one, as awesome as I have ever seen, complete with the impressive explosion that actually spread the letters U S A in red, white and blue across the night sky! I thought a moment about the spectacular history of our country and the great symbol that represents us, Old Glory, the flag of the United States of America. Much attention was paid to it on this night. I swelled with pride as we stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
My mind wandered to what the flag really meant to me? What does it really mean to those who have loved ones serving our country? What about those who have lost loved ones in service to our country? Earlier I had been introduced to a U.S. Navy Seal sitting behind me. I wondered what the stars and stripes meant to him.
Most of us know the fact that the 50 stars stand for America’s 50 states, while the 13 red and white stripes represent the 13 colonies. But there’s also a lesser-known interpretation for the Stars and Stripes. The House of Representatives’ 1977 book about the flag states: “The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun.”
What about the colors? While not official it has been said that “White signifies purity and innocence. Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.”
To many the flag simply represents our freedoms, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion.
In conclusion, the flag means many different and powerful things to different people. It demands respect and reverence. Like all things of importance, the flag should be given proper respect once it has fulfilled its duty. Weather and wind can be a difficult and damaging.
The flag can and should be mended when needed. United States Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8: “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”
At Hughes Mortuary we would like to introduce our Flag Retirement program. If you have a worn flag ready for proper retirement you can drop it off to us at Hughes Mortuary. We will properly fold and store the flag until it can properly be retired.
All of the retired flags processed in our Flag Cremation Program are retired with dignity and respect after an appropriate flag retirement Ceremony. We drape the flag over a veteran’s remains to be cremated, honoring the veteran’s military service. The family of the veteran receives a certificate stating the last deed of service for that flag was to drape their veteran during the cremation process.
For more information please contact Hughes Mortuary at 435-674-5000 or visit us at 1037 East 700 South in St. George.