LIHU‘E — Sunday was Flag Day, a day to celebrate the U.S. flag and all it stands for, said Jim Jung, chaplain for the American Legion Post 54 in Kapa‘a.
“This is also a day when we invite the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to participate in the proper retirement of unserviceable flags, along with a lesson of why and how we honor our flag,” Jung said.
“This year, however, because of the COVID-19 quarantine, we are unable to do this.”
Instead, with the scouts, veterans and their families safe at home, Jung offered the American Legion flag-retirement benediction:
“Almighty God, captain of all hosts and commander overall, bless and consecrate this present hour.
We thank thee for our country and its flag, and for the liberty for which it stands.
To clean and purging flame, we commit these flags worn out in worthy service.
As they yield their substance to the fire, may thy holy light spread over us and bring to our hearts renewed devotion to God and country.”
Jung said the traditional protocol of the day includes the scouts and veterans engaging in a civic discussion of why they come together, why they wear flag patches on uniforms, what is patriotism, what does the flag symbolize, and what are some of the freedoms Americans enjoy.
Other topics include the makeup of the flag, what the three colors represent, what do the 50 stars represent, and that 176 U.S. Code prescribes that unserviceable flags should be destroyed in a dignified way, by burning.
Scouts engage in the proper folding of the flag, patriotic bingo, and watch a video history of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
“This is the tale of the Battle of Baltimore as the War of 1812 was winding down in 1814,” Jung said.
The battle took place at Fort McHenry that is now an American national monument, located along the shore of the Bay of Baltimore in Maryland.
During the War of 1812, Ft. McHenry protected American soil against enemies.
“It was September 1814 when the British fleet filled Baltimore Harbor and bombed the fort,” Jung said. “A large, 17-by-25-foot American flag flew proudly over the fort as the bombing continued throughout the day and night.
“Refusing to surrender, the American forces sent a 35-year-old lawyer to try and negotiate a cease fire. The British commander told him that he would silence the cannons if the Americans surrendered. They were to communicate their surrender by lowering the flag.
“Flying proudly throughout the night, the flag was not lowered, and the bombing continued until the British ran out of ammunition and gave up. The fort replaced the tattered and torn flag with a larger flag — 30 by 42 feet — called a ‘garrison flag,’ to announce the victory.
“During the bombing, the lawyer, Francis Scott Key, wrote a poem he called ‘The Defense of Ft. McHenry.’ The name of his poem was later changed to become “The Star Spangled Banner.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
