HBO Taking Chance

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Photo courtesy of John Phelps, Chance’s father, of Running Iron Studios in Dubois, Wyoming, who used Chance as the model for his WWII memorial.

Missy alerted me to the story of Marine Lieutenant Colonel Strobl‘s escort of the remains of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps to be an HBO movie, airing in February and starring Kevin Beacon. Phelps was killed in action on April 9, 2004 in Iraq and buried April 17th in Dubois, Wyoming. Read the moving account if you have not yet done so.

Thanks Missy.

Yesterday, I received an email from CJ, going over the proper etiquette and ceremonial symbolism behind the folding of the American flag that drapes military coffins (apparently, the symbolism/recitation for each of the 13 folds wasn’t originally attached to the ceremonial 13-step folding; but it has become part of the time-honored tradition worth preserving):

Meaning of Flag Draped Coffin

All Americans should be given this lesson. Those who think that America is an arrogant nation should really reconsider that thought. Our founding fathers used GOD’s word and teachings to establish our Great Nation and I think it’s high time Americans get re-educated about this Nation’s history. Pass it along and be proud of the country we live in and even more proud of those who serve to protect our ‘GOD GIVEN’ rights and freedoms.

I hope you take the time to read this….. To understand what the flag draped coffin really means….. Here is how to understand the flag that laid upon it and is surrendered to so many widows and widowers.

Do you know that at military funerals, the 21-gun salute stands for the sum of the numbers in the year 1776?

Have you ever noticed the honor guard pays meticulous attention to correctly folding the United States of America Flag 13 times? You probably thought it was to symbolize the original 13 colonies, but we learn something new every day!

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

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

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

The 4th fold represents the 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.

The 5th fold is a tribute to the 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.’

The 6th fold is for where people’s hearts lie. It is with their heart that They pledge allegiance to the flag of the United! States Of America, and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding them of their nations motto, ‘In God We Trust.’

After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington, and the Sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for them the rights, privileges and freedoms they enjoy today.

There are some traditions and ways of doing things that have deep meaning. In the future, you’ll see flags folded and now you will know why.

After reading this, I derisively thought to myself, “Don’t let Michael Newdow hear about this.” (Apparently his latest “I’m offended” atheist jig is to file a lawsuit regarding President-Elect Obama’s inauguration to leave out all references to God and religion).

Then I remembered that this suppression by secular fanatics already took place. Rob posted this from late October of 2007:

Through thousands of military burials, Memorial Honor Detail volunteers at Riverside National Cemetery in California have folded the American flag 13 times and recited the significance of every fold to survivors of those being laid to rest.

The first fold, a narrator tells relatives, represents life, the second a belief in eternal life.
The 11th fold celebrates Jewish war veterans and glorifies the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

A single complaint lodged against the words for the 11th fold recently prompted the National Cemetery Administration to ban the entire recital at all 125 national cemeteries.

A spokesman in Washington said the complaint originated from someone who witnessed the ceremony at Riverside National but would provide no other details and declined to release the directive banning the flag-folding recital, saying it was “an internal working document not meant for public distribution.”

Veterans are furious.

“That the actions of one disgruntled, whining, narcissistic and intolerant individual is preventing veterans from getting the honors they deserve is truly an outrage,” said Rees Lloyd, 59, a Vietnam-era veteran and Memorial Honor Detail volunteer. “This is another attempt by secularist fanatics to cleanse any reference to God.”

World War II Navy sailor Bobby Castillo, 85, another member of Memorial Honor Detail 12, called the federal decision “a slap in the face to every veteran.”

“When we got back from the war, we didn’t ask for a whole lot,” said Castillo, who was wounded in 1944 as he supported the Allied landings in France. “We just want to give our veterans the respect they deserve. No one has ever complained to us about it. I just don’t understand.”

The pair, part of a team that has performed military honors at more than 1,400 services, said they were preparing to read the flag-folding remarks when workers in a staff car came up to them and stopped them.

Charlie Waters, parliamentarian for the American Legion of California, said he’s advising memorial-honor details to ignore the edict, even if it means being kicked out of cemeteries.

“This is nuts,” Waters, a Korean War veteran, said in a telephone interview from Fresno. “There are 26 million veterans in this country and they’re not going to take us all to prison.”

Mike Nacincik, a spokesman for the National Cemetery Administration, said the new policy, which was outlined in a Sept. 27 memo, is aimed at creating uniform services throughout the military graveyard system.

He said the 13-fold recital is not part of the U.S. Flag Code and is not government-approved. After the complaint made its way through government channels, Steve Muro, director of field operations, wrote the new policy.

Nacincik said that while the flag-folding narrative includes references to God that the government does not endorse, the main reason for the new rules is uniformity.

“We are looking at consistency,” Nacincik said. “We think that’s important.”

As for comments that the edict is an attack on religious beliefs, Nacincik said, “People are going to have their own views on that.”

Rabbi Yitzhak Miller, of Temple Beth El in Riverside, said he understands the government’s decision to ban the recitation but believes it is a quick solution to a complex issue.

“It is a perfect example of government choosing to ignore religion in order to avoid offending some religions,” Miller said. “To me, ignoring religion in general is just as problematic as endorsing any one religion.”

Hot Air:

a coast-to-coast ban on the recital at all 125 cemeteries overseen by the National Cemetery Administration. The families can read it aloud if they want, says the NCA, but no cemetery workers will be allowed to do so.

A spokesman for the California Defense of Veterans Memorials Project says: nuts.

“It’s outrageous,” he says bluntly. “These are decisions that should be made by the families of our deceased veteran comrades and not by Washington bureaucrats — and most certainly not by any narcissistic, disaffected, offended atheist, agnostic, or any other [person] who is upset or offended by the word ‘God’ or a religious symbol which might offend his delicate sensibilities.”

Lloyd vows that even if there are “a hundred-million offended atheists,” he and other American Legionnaires will stand against the ban.

“We will defy this ban, pure and simple,” he states. “If the families ask us to recite the flag-folding ceremony, we will abide by the wishes of the family — not [by the wishes of] some bureaucrat sitting in an air-conditioned office in Washington, DC, or some lawyer wearing a diaper back there whose main mission in life is to protect his own behind instead of standing up for the American people and saying enough is enough.”

Thanks to Duncan Hunter and about 25 other Congressmen, as well as overwhelming public outcry, the ban was lifted fairly soon afterward.

Thank God.

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My father’s ceremony took place in a private cemetary nestled in the bluffs in western Wisconsin, Bad Axe Lutheran Cemetary. His honor guard was partially made up of men he grew up with and some fresh faced lads. They did this ceremony, proudly while a Bald Eagle decided to soar above us. It was an experience I will always cherish. I would want the same for all of our warriors families.

Thanks for another excellent post Wordsmith.

My Grandfather passed away last spring, and the local VFW was asked to provide graveside honors. Of course they agreed, but they told us that they didn’t have enough members available to do a full ceremony. In addition to the the two VFW members that met us at graveside, we were pleasantly surprised to find an additional half dozen members of the local national guard who had learned of my Grandfather’s service and chose to attend. The service was awe inspiring, and when they were finished with Taps, the three gun volley, and the flag folding, there wasn’t a dry eye there. It was so memorable and touching, I’m welling up tears just thinking about it.

The two soldiers who folded the flag, though, made a mistake and were unable to close the folds at the end. None of us minded, but they were so embarrassed and apologetic. We didn’t know why. At the time, I didn’t understand the significance of that part of the ceremony, but after reading this post, now I do. Thank you, Wordsmith, for teaching me something new about the last memories of my Grandfather, as the graveside services that the VFW and the National Guardsman provided have even more meaning now.

I wrote a little about my Grandfather’s service history here, but briefly I’d like to tell you all that he was on the first boat to survive the landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy, on D-Day, where 2000 of his fellow soldiers died. He received a field promotion to Sergeant during the invasion, and went on to serve in Northern France, Rhineland and Central Europe.

He was decorated with the Bronze Service Arrowhead, Good Conduct Medal, European, African and Middle Eastern Service Medal and American Defense Service Medal. He was so humble he never even claimed some of his service medals. We found the paperwork for them when we cleaned his house.

Thanks for the post about LCpl Chance Phelps.