In this interregnum between Flag Day and the 4th of July, the flags are waving out here in Lake Serene. It could have been better, however, had the City of Hattiesburg not refused to let a new car dealership in Oak Grove raise an American flag of their choice on their own huge car lot because it was “too big.” Supposedly, it would “obstruct the view.” Of what? Pine trees? I passed through Orange Beach, Alabama, last week and noticed that the city fathers proudly flew one of the largest national flags I’ve ever seen, right downtown, never mind the view. Chiseled across its concrete base are the words which reflect that town’s official attitude: “LAND OF THE FREE, BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE.”
Personally, I don’t think the American flag can get too big. I was once on an aircraft carrier off Vietnam one 4th of July whose 5,000-man crew made a “living” U. S. flag which took up the whole flight deck. And while I’m at it, I need to get this off my chest: If one of those “protesters” waved a foreign flag in front of me while “Old Glory” burned at his feet, my inclination would be to “go Merle Haggard” on him, resulting in either one or both of us going to jail or the hospital. He and his First Amendment rights would be “on the fighting side of me.”
While I grudgingly acknowledge that it is now “legal” to publicly burn this important symbol of our nation, it is significant to note that while the Supreme Court has ruled (1990) that burning the U. S. flag in protest is constitutionally protected speech, this protection doesn’t extend to unrelated criminal actions, such as incitement to violence, arson beyond a flag, destruction of property, or looting - which all remain illegal.
Our cherished national flag has gone through 27 iterations since Betsy Ross did or did not stitch the first one in 1776. Each new version represented the addition of one or more states as the United States grew westward to fulfill what historians have referred to as “manifest destiny.” Although we have had the current 50-star flag since 1960, with the addition of Hawaii, Mississippi contributed its star to the third, twenty-star design of 1818 when it became a state in 1817 along with additional stars for four states previously added to the Union: Tennessee (1796), Ohio (1803), Louisiana (1812), and Indiana (1816). While both stars and stripes were added to the new flag, this proved unwieldy, and the design soon reverted to the original thirteen stripes, which represented the original thirteen colonies.
A flag is a powerful symbol, and it is more than cloth; for example, the American flag is probably the most recognized symbol in the world, except maybe for Coca-Cola. The only other distinctly “American” symbol that I can think of that anywhere approaches its significance is the majestic bald eagle. I’m not sure how serious he was, but Benjamin Franklin, one of the “Founding Fathers” of our country, supposedly put forward the common turkey, rather than the eagle, as our national bird. Can you imagine such a fowl, perched on the Great Seal of the United States?
Since I was a little boy, I have been fascinated with the flags and pennants that I associated with ships and the sea. Once I got old enough, I would skip school, head to New Orleans, and sit on the banks of the Mississippi studying the foreign flags flying on the sterns of vessels steaming up and down the river. Although most only flew their flags of convenience or registration (Panama, Liberia, Monrovia, etc.), some also flew the national flags of their country of origin on their main mast. I learned to recognize many of the countries; and I didn’t know it then, but I was learning about “vexillology,” or the scholarly study of flags and flag etiquette.
Although I followed three different career paths during my years in the Navy, I think I would have been just as happy being a simple signalman, whose everyday business involves working at sea with the flags and pennants in the ship’s flag bag. One of the oldest ratings in the Navy, along with boatswain’s mate, a signalman is often exposed to inclement weather on the signal bridge. He is always topside, can see what is going on, and is always privy to the “big picture.” I managed to spend a great deal of time on the signal bridge during my years at sea, even though it wasn’t my primary duty station, often working on my suntan during a “nooner.” In addition, the signal bridge is “scuttlebutt central” (A “scuttlebutt” is a water cooler, where, even in civilian life, gossip is often exchanged), where all the ship’s gossip and rumors end up. For example, I remember being solemnly and authoritatively told that “It’s always the 7th wave that goes farther up the beach;” that the four guided missile destroyers we sold to the Shah of Iran back in the 1970’s (Paid for, but never delivered) had gold fixtures in the officer’s heads (bathrooms); and that the “cooks always put saltpeter in our food.”
Using the various pennants in the ship’s flag bag, a signalman can string together and hoist just about any message imaginable. Among old timers in the Navy, a perhaps apocryphal story is told of how, during World War II task force operations in the Mediterranean, one destroyer began steaming off in the wrong direction. The admiral ordered his signalman to hoist three pennants on the yardarm strikingly different from any signal ever flown before. The pennants were “Interrogative,” the church pennant, and “Station.” What the admiral signaled to the wayward ship was intended to read: “Where in God’s name are you going?”
Another interesting feature of the flag bag is the Union Jack, which is flown on the bow of American warships that are moored or anchored during daylight hours. Since September 11, 2002, the Jack has been the Revolutionary War version, which is a flag bearing 13 red and white stripes, a rattlesnake, and the motto, “Don’t Tread on Me.” The only time you will see the entire contents of the flag bag displayed is during a holiday (Like the 4th of July) “Dress Ship” exercise. Merchantmen carry additional flags, such as the “Blue Peter,” which denotes that the ship is about to get underway, and you’d better get onboard or be left behind.
Flags have played a dominant role in our nation’s history. The USS Ranger, under the command of John Paul Jones, was the first ship to receive an official nine-gun salute of the American Stars and Stripes at sea from a foreign (French) warship (1778). Everyone, of course, knows of Francis Scott Key’s composition of the National Anthem during the British bombardment of Baltimore harbor during the War of 1812 . . . “Through the rocket’s red glare, he saw that the flag was still there.”
Flags also figure prominently in our daily lives and speech: the referee throws his flag to indicate a penalty in football; the policeman “flags” us for speeding; a red flag on the beach means that the surf’s up and beware the undertow, etc. There are countless idioms as well: “Wave the white flag;” “Follow the flag;” “Go down with the flag flying;” “Nail your flag to the mast,” etc. For over half of my long life, afloat or ashore, it began with 0800 “Colors” and the raising of the flag. In port, the ship with the senior captain would oversee deciding when it was exactly 0800, and they would sound Colors by either whistle or bugle on a loudspeaker, and all the other ships would follow their lead. In a big homeport like San Diego, with 20 or more ships, there would sometimes be a time lag of a minute or more as the junior ships chimed in, resulting in a cacophony of sound any sailor can remember.
On a much more serious note, have you ever wondered what is said when the American flag is presented to the next of kin at a military funeral? If you have lost a loved one in the line of duty or who was a veteran, you know; but as a Navy chaplain who conducted more such funerals than I care to remember, I will, in reverence, share those words with you:
On behalf of the President of the United States,
the United States (Army/Navy/Air Force/Marine
Corps/Coast Guard/Space Force), and grateful
nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our
appreciation for your loved one’s honorable
and faithful service.
I remember when the Chaplain Corps bought all 1100 active-duty chaplains a portable, battery powered tape deck/speaker combination to use at divine church services. The provided cassettes contained several of the most familiar songs in the Navy hymn book, such as “Eternal Father” (“Eternal Father, strong to save, whose arm hath bound the restless wave.”). Also included was a musical rendition of Taps to be played at military funerals because of a lack of qualified trumpet players in the fleet. This is a shortage that persists today, especially for veterans who desire military honors at their funerals. When I was on the battleship, New Jersey (BB-62, I solved the problem because I had an excellent polka band, and I could always “volunteer” a good trumpet player when one was needed.
I know that many are already aware, but for the benefit of those who don’t know, we have a legitimate hero in our midst, and he lives in Purvis. I’m speaking of Mr. Howell Purvis, a retired U. S. Secret Service agent who is known for his dedicated service to veterans by playing Taps at military funerals. Mr. Purvis, who was a Navy combat helicopter pilot early in the Vietnam War, served as a Special Agent in the Secret Service from 1968 until 1988, during which time he provided personal protection for Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.
After retiring from the Secret Service, he returned to his hometown and became active in honoring fallen servicemembers. He has volunteered to play Taps at over 570 military funerals and at more than 50 civic events. A member of Bugles Across America, his many contributions have earned his induction into Pearl River Community College’s Lifetime Achievement Hall of Fame (2014), and the Fine Arts Hall of Fame (2018). Personally, I admire him for his helicopter piloting as much as anything. A helicopter is just a bucket of nuts and bolts trying to tear itself apart. I always had a premonition that I was going to die in one, but I think I would prefer riding in a helo over the tilt rotor Ospreys that the Marine Corps has gone all in for.
As far as my 4th of July celebration, a big part will be joining the annual decorated golf cart parade and competition sponsored by the Lake Serene homeowner’s association. Last year’s winner was a Winnebago camper lookalike. The only problem is that I don’t own a golf cart; so, I’m going to substitute my 1978 Citroen 2CV car, which I bought in France, and which is about the size of a large side by side. I’ll get my granddaughters to hang some red, white, and blue bunting on it, because a flag is not appropriate, and join the fun. Luckily, it has the centrifugal clutch option, loved by Paris taxi drivers, and doesn’t require continual up and down shifting in parades.
In whatever manner we chose to celebrate the 4th, we need to remember that, around the world, our flag is the most well-known symbol of what America stands for. It needs to be respected and honored. At the end of the day, we can’t discount the importance of symbols – a piece of colored cloth, a treasured photograph, a final letter, a hank of hair, a wedding ring, a cross, a Star of David. It’s symbols and the importance we give them that make life meaningful.
Light a candle for me.
Benny Hornsby, a resident of Oak Grove, is a retired U.S. Navy captain. Write him at villefranche60@yahoo.com or visit bennyhornsby.com.
