201 US Flags Burned and Decommissioned in Hickory, North Carolina

A total of 201 US Flags were respectfully decommissioned and then burned at the St Stephens High School in Hickory, North Carolina on Saturday 7th May.

The old, tattered and worn flags were decommissioned in a ceremony, overseen by US War Veterans.

The ceremony started at 7PM when 63 motorbikes made their way around the outside of the stadium. “Tonight we honor the flag the way it should be honored – in a dignified ceremony,” said Scoutmaster of Troop 284 Dwight Byrd.

Rodney Bobak, from the Order of the Arrow, explained the procedure:

“We decommission what used to be flags while wearing white gloves as a final show of respect,” he said. “We do not burn the American flag – the Iranians do that. We burn what used to be American flags.”

For more information, see: http://www2.hickoryrecord.com/news/2011/may/07/flags-decommissioned-and-honored-ar-1013939/

April 13, 1818 USA Flag - 193rd Anniversary Today

Today April 13th is the 193rd anniversary of the 1818 USA Flag.

This flag did not become official until July 4th, 1818 but was actually flown at the US state capital for the first time on April 13, 1818. 


So what does the flag mean. The thirteen stripes represent the original 13 founding colonies. The 20 stars represent the number of states in the Union as of 1818.


The flag was designed by Samuel C. Reid and was sewed by Reid's wife and friends and then mailed to Washington.

The Former Soviet Union flag flies high in the heart of Syracuse, New York

Your News Now, New York reports an unusual story in that the former Soviet Union Flag was found flying high over a building in Syracuse, New York.

The flag is seen flying at half-staff, but it's a mystery how it got there. The property manager confirmed that usually a US flag  is flying there but somebody removed it and replaced it with the Soviet Flag instead. The Soviet Flag has since been removed and an investigation has been launched as to what exactly happened.

See the full story at: http://centralny.ynn.com/content/top_stories/539677/former-soviet-flag-flying-in-syracuse/

Justin Bieber Wears USA Flag Outfit to Say Sorry for 'Evil' America Comment

Justin Bieber wore an outfit in the design of the American Flag in what many are speculating was an apology for a comment he made recently about Americans "being evil". Bieber commented in a recent Rolling Stones Magazine article that "you guys are evil", when referring to the fact that the US didn't have a free healthcare system like his beloved Canada does.  He said "You guys are evil. Canada's the best country in the world. We go to the doctor and we don;t need to worry about paying him, but here, your whole life, you're broke because of medical bills. My Bodyguard's baby was premature, and now he has to pay for it. In Canada if your baby is premature, he stays in hospital as long as he needs to, and then you go home."

A spokesperson for Bieber is reported to have said "He's a young kid and said something that got blown well out of proportion. He loves America and is proud to wear the stars and stripes when he is traveling overseas." Bieber wore the outfit whilst in Nottingham, England ahead of his 24th March tour date there. 


The US Flag outfit was made by fashion company OnePiece who specialise as the name suggests in One Piece Clothing items. OnePiece were created by 3 Norwegians in 2007 and have also recently created clothes for Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Rihanna amongst others.

US Flag returned to Veterans Family

In Rochester, New York, USA a flag has been returned to the family of a war veteran, ironically they didn't even know the flag was missing!


Jason Wallace, of Rochester, received the American flag from a friend. The US flag which was enclosed in a case had been purchased at an auction in Wells, Maine. Wallace became determined to try and find the owner as the flag in case belonged to a World War II Veteran.



Through the help of WMUR Channel 9 viewer the flag was reinstated with the owner who didn't even know it was missing. “I’m just thrilled to have it back,” Paul Grady said on Saturday 26 March. “My daughter Kailyn got a message on Facebook from a girl named Shannon, who happened to see the news story,” Grady explained. “I just can’t thank him enough. A lot of people wouldn’t have bothered to do anything, and he (Wallace) made the effort and I really appreciate it,” said Grady.

The flag in a presentation case had belonged to the father of Grady, Austin Grady who passed away in 2004.

Source: http://www.wmur.com/r/27333577/detail.html