My Grandpa's Flag

 

 

Mom and Dad,

As I finish up the display for my grandpa’s flag, memories come flooding back of what type of man he was. Honestly, it is hard to say this but he would be scorned and hated in today’s society. You see, he was a man’s man. He ruled his house with a hard hand and temperament that was rough and gruff. He was the king of his castle, and his wife and kids were going to tow the line. He also said racial slurs and had very black and white views. I never could get him to stop calling Italians “Degos” and I never found out why he called them that.

But you see, my grandpa grew up in a time of our country’s history that was hard. It was a time where you never knew when your next meal was going to come your way and you knew you would be still hungry afterward. It was a time where you would work all day just to get one meal for that day. It was a time where no one had anything, and the Depression was going strong. It was during his time that World War II ravaged the world, and he went across seas to fight to keep it from landing in his country where his wife and children were. When he came back from the war, he made a good living as an electrician where he was able to use his hands and his considerable problem-solving skills to literally build the Depression scared country from the ground up.

My grandpa was hard. He snapped hard and he could hit hard. But he had a hard life and the Great Depression and war had toughened him into stone. Today he would be seen as a Bigot or unwoke. He would be hated for the way he talked about other races or about sexual orientation. The man I knew though was much different. He was very judgmental but he also judged a man by his works and the hard work they accomplished. He judged them by their heart and their deeds. No matter what they looked like or what they believed or the words he used when talking about them, he respected good hard working men. He was passionate about his family and country. He insisted that I learned to do anything I set my mind to and to think before I did it. He said that we needed to work smarter and that it was the way to get more work done without hurting ourselves. He was the one that taught me that below the rough exterior was a softness and deep caring that was hard to see but hard to miss.

I work on his flag, the symbol of honor that was draped over him as I helped carry him to rest, and all these memories come flooding back. I learned a lot from him as I know all my siblings did. We didn’t agree with some of the ways he did things or the way he talked or felt about people. What we knew of him though was that he lived a life that would be literal hell to most kids of my time and he survived it. He was driven to pass his grit down to me. And I needed it even if at the time I had no idea I needed it.

I work on this flag and case and I hope that it does him honor. He was a product of his time and the times he experienced. And he truly did represent what I think of as a patriot and a man that loved his family and country. I hope that I am carrying on his legacy well for he was truly one of the men that made our country great.

 

The Meanings Behind Rituals for Military and Veteran Funerals

 

        Covering the Casket with a Flag

        Covering the casket with the flag became a custom during the Napoleanic wars (1796-1815). The dead carried from the field of battle on a caisson were covered with a flag, so that each side could identify their own dead. Draping the flag of a nation over a military serviceperson’s or veteran’s casket serves to remind the living of that person’s service and sacrifice for that country.

 

The 21-Gun Salute

        The 21-gun salute – seven guns shot three times – came from a signal to stop fighting to allow each side to clear the dead from the field of battle. Once each army had cleared its dead, it would fire three volleys to indicate that the dead had been cared for and that they were ready to go back to fighting.

        In the earliest days of cannon and firearm use, the British National Salute was recognized as being comprised of seven guns. Although a ship could fire seven guns for honors, fort-based guns could fire three shots to one shot afloat. In that day, gunpowder of sodium nitrate was easier to keep on shore than at sea.

Over time, as the quality of gunpowder improved by the use of potassium nitrate, the sea salute was made equal to the shore salute.

        A 21-gun salute was the highest national honor. Although for a period of time monarchies received more guns than republics, eventually republics claimed equality. The United States adopted the 21-gun and “Gun for Gun Return” on August 17, 1875.

       

A Short History of Taps

          Taps is an American bugle call, composed during the Civil War by Union Brigadier General Daniel Butterfield at Harrison’s Landing, Virginia, in 1862. The call, and the name Taps, was officially adopted by the U.S. Army in 1874.

The 24-note melancholy bugle call is thought to be a revision of a French bugle signal, called “tattoo,” that notified soldiers to cease an evening’s drinking and return to their garrisons. It was sounded an hour before the final bugle call to end the day by extinguishing fires and lights.

        The first time Taps was played at a military funeral may also have been in Virginia soon after Butterfield composed it. Union Capt. John Tidball, head of an artillery battery, ordered it played for the burial of a cannoneer killed in action. Not wanting to reveal the battery’s position in the woods to the enemy nearby, Tidball substituted Taps for the traditional three rifle volleys fired over the grave.

          Taps was played at the funeral of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson 10 months after it was composed. Army infantry regulations by 1891 required taps to be played at military funeral ceremonies. Taps now is played by the military at burial and memorial services, to accompany the lowering of the flag and to signal the “lights out” command at day’s end.

 

The Flag Folding Ceremony

It takes 13 individual folding movements to create the blue field/white star triangle encasing the American flag. Two people conduct the ceremony, with precision and solemn attention.

        If there is no body in a casket, such as at a memorial service where the deceased has been cremated, the flag may be unfolded and re-folded with just as much solemn attention.

       

1.      1. The 1st fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

2.      2. The 2nd fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

3.      3. The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.

4.     4.  The 4th fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.

5.      5. The 5th fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our Country,” in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country right or wrong.

6.      6. The 6th fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that “We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”

7.    7.   The 7th fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

8.      8. The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.

9.      9. The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.

10.10.   The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for defense of our country since they were first born.

11.  11. The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and glorifies in the Hebrews’ eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

12.  12. The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians’ eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.

13.  13. The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding us of our nation’s motto, “In God We Trust.”

       

Three Bullet Casings Slipped Into Folded Flag

The military funeral honors also include a ceremony in which the honor guard removes the flag from the casket and carefully folds it, with the blue field of stars facing up. Then, the folded flag is presented to the deceased person's family as a token of gratitude for that person's service.

The flag detail often slips three shell casings into the folded flag before presenting the flag to the family. Each casing represents one volley. This gesture provides a slightly different meaning for the symbolism of the three bullets in a military funeral.

Some military traditionalists argue that the shell casings should not be slipped into the flag as it's being folded since doing so would require opening a flap of the flag. Instead, the shell casings should be retrieved and presented separately to the next of kin.

Flag Presentation to the Family

What members of each service branch say to the family upon presentation of the flag differs by service.

 

Army: “As a representative of the United States Army, it is my high privilege to present you this flag. Let it be a symbol of the grateful appreciation this nation feels for the distinguished service rendered to our country and our flag by your loved one.”