What began as a simple request to help locate historic American flags in our area has already uncovered remarkable stories through the Sophia Fleming Chapter, NSDAR.

As our nation approaches the 250th anniversary of American independence, community members have begun sharing treasured flags and the personal stories connected to them, preserving not only the flags themselves, but also the military histories behind them.

Jeannie Johnson shared a flag flown over Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on June 12, 1983, in honor of her late husband, Navy Corpsman Steven Johnson’s birthday. Jeannie and Steven both served as Corpsmen and later retired from military service. Preserved by Jeannie in its original shadow box with an accompanying certificate, the flag remains a treasured reminder of their years of service and shared history.

Jeannie also shared a separate framed World War II artifact connected to her father’s service with Merrill’s Marauders in the China-Burma-India Theater. The piece includes a wartime “blood chit,” a cloth panel intended to help identify Allied personnel and request civilian assistance if stranded behind enemy lines.

Luke M. J. Byrne shared a large cotton American flag used to drape the coffin of his father, a World War I Army veteran, upon his death in 1963. Luke received the flag at age 17 and has carefully preserved it over the years through many states and countries.

Retired Navy veteran William “Bill” Walker shared an American flag flown at half-staff at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica in 1962 in honor of Eleanor Roosevelt. Bill contacted the chapter after reading about the project in Clay Today and expressed hope that the flag and its story might be preserved and shared with future generations.

The Sophia Fleming Chapter continues seeking historic American flags and the stories connected with them as part of local efforts surrounding America’s upcoming 250th anniversary.

If you know of a historic American flag and its story, we would love to hear from you. Contact carrie.sophiaflemingregistrar@gmail.com.