The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Elks Lodge, Boy Scouts mark Flag Day
ONEIDA, N.Y. » Oneida residents turned out for the annual Flag Day celebration at the Oneida Elks Lodge No. 767 to honor the history and meaning of Old Glory.
Every year, the lodge commemorates the significance of the American flag. The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is the first and only formal body to require formal observation of Flag Day, starting on July 1908.
Singing the national anthem was Christopher DeNova and Michael Denova.
With the help of the Oneida Boy Scouts of America Troop 2, Elks Lodge Treasurer Kathy Malinowski walked the audience through the history of the American flag.
“Heraldry is as old as the human race. The carrying of banners has been a custom among all peoples of all ages. These banners usually contain some concept of the life or government of those that fashion them. The evolution of the American flag marks the progression of the government it represents,” Malinowski said.
The flag of America has changed greatly over the years, starting out with the pine tree flag flown in 1775 and carried by all colonial forces during the
Battle of Bunker Hill.
Malinowski explained that in 1775, the Continental Congress appointed a committee to consider the design of a flag to represent the 13 colonies. The committee recommended 13 alternating stripes of red and white and a blue field bearing the red cross of St. George and the white cross of St. Andrew.
“John Paul Jones, the senior lieutenant of the flagship Alfred hoisted this flag to the masthead on Dec. 3, 1775. And one month later, it was raised over the headquarters of General George Washington in Cambridge, Mass.,” Malinowski said.
When remembering the significance and importance of the American flag, Secretary George Winnie reminded those gathered what the flag truly meant. On the folds of the flag is written the history of America as brave men and women carried it into the worst fights and trag- edies, from Flanders Field and Iowa Jima to Sept. 11.
“Today, American forces carry our flag in the villages of Iraq, the mountains of Afghanistan and the jungles of the Philippines and wherever terrorism may reside,” Winnie said. “Their struggle against this is one of the hardest battles yet. It’s certainly one of the greatest challenge our flag has ever seen.”
Exalted Ruler Matthew Malinowski asked the veterans of the audience to stand up so they could be recognized. Among the audience, five stood and were recognized.
Three fifth-grade students were chosen to speak at the event, with Youth Chairman James Tuggey introducing the students and the contest that brought them there.
“Last year, over 150 students in the Oneida City School District and Saint Patrick’s entered an American essay contest. The question was, ‘Why are our veterans heroes?’,” Tuggey said.
“Veterans are our heroes in many different ways. They’re brave, fight for our freedom and risk their lives for us,” Lily Dygert, of North Broad Elementary said. “Our veterans fight for freedom and liberty.”
“Veterans risk their lives and leave their families,” Brady Sullivan, of North Broad Elementary said. “They go through difficult training, missing holidays and training all day.”
“One day, I attended a ceremony to honor our veterans,” Nicholas Martin, of Saint Patrick’s School said. “As the mayor called out to the butcher and the mailman, I realized that veterans live amongst us. They serve our country in our times of need and went back their everyday lives. They stepped in when our country needed them. They’re heroes. They deserve our respect.”
Tuggey said Lily’s essay won on the district level, competing against eight other lodges.
Concluding the ceremony was Oneida Central School District students Mariah Joslyn and Julian Egelston playing “TAPS.”