Posted on 01/18/2005 2:59:45 AM PST by Paul Ciniraj
WHY US FLAG IS FOLDING THIRTEEN TIMES ?
The flag of the United States of America is folded thirteen times when it is lowered or handed to the widow at the burial of a veteran. Here is the meaning of each of those folds.
1. The first fold - Symbol of life.
2. The second fold - Symbol of belief in eternal life.
3. The third fold - Honour and rememberance of the departing veterans, who gave a portion of their lives for the defence of the country to attain peace throughout the world.
4. The forth fold - It represents the weaker nature of American Citizens; for they trust in God, to whom turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.
5. The fifth fold - Tribute to the country. (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").
6. The sixth fold - There the heart lie. Every citizens pledge allegiance to the flag of United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.
7. The seventh fold - Tribute to the Armed Forces.
8. The eighth fold - Tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death.
9. The nineth fold - Tribute to womanhood.
10. The tenth fold - Tribute to the father
11. The eleventh fold - Represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, that glorifying the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
12. The twelfth fold - Represents an emblem of eternity, that glorifying God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
13. The thirteenth fold - The stars are uppermost reminding the naion’s motto "In God We Trust".
After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearence of a cocked hat, ever reminding 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 USA, preserving the rights, privileges and freedom.
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Pastor PAUL CINIRAJ, SALEM VOICE, DEVALOKAM (P.O), KOTTAYAM, KERALA-686038, INDIA.
URL: http://www.salem-voice.com; http://www.geocities.com/baseelia
email: salemvoiceministries@yahoo.com; baseelia@yahoo.com
Very nice post. Something I never knew for sure! I didn't realize there was such significance. I have to say at first I thought it had to do with the 13 colonies. That's how much I know.
Nice sentiment, but totally undounded. It just works out to be 13 folds when it is folded properly. My theory on the origins of why the U.S. Flag is folded in such a manner is about 100 years ago, some crusty old Sergeant Major saw a couple of privtes just rollin' it up, and cussed them out and told them "You clowns had better find a better way to fold up my flag!!! or your goin' find yourselves under one! Now move dammit!" Just a theory, but I like it.
I had googled this about a year ago for my grandsons - both Boy Scouts. This time I am printing it out.
I don't think the number of folds was saddled with this symbolism, prior to the first flag folding. This sounds like a nice afterthought.
*Several hours later, a red, white and blue origami crane appears on the Sergeant Major's desk.*
It's true..........
The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.
The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.
The fifth fold is a tribute to our 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 sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.
The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on mother's day.
The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.
The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, "In God we Trust."
(Wait for the Honor Guard or Flag Detail to inspect the flag--after the inspection, resume reading.)
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 us the rights, privileges, and freedoms we enjoy today.
| The Flag Folding Ceremony above is from the US Air Force Academy |
Doing a search I found several sites which posted this same information, listing some pretty convincing sources:
http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/more/folds.htm.
Snopes.com however has this listed as a False Urban Legend:
http://www.snopes.com/military/flagfold.htm
And I always thought that it represented one fold for each of the original thirteen colonies.
Oh I see. Thanks
BTW. Who's Zarquon
Even if an aferthought, I notice there is no reference to the Muslim religion here.
umm, no..it's really true.....
www.usflag.org/fold.flag.html
I guess I don't know all that yet. I'm too young ya know. I have much to learn. The first 50 yrs of my life I played, now I'm getting serious! LOL. some would say it's about time huh?
Ok I google though. Very interesting. Will have to set aside some time to read all that info.
From the American Legion National Headquarters at: http://www.legion.org/our_flag/of_main.htm
The Flag Code Title 4, United States Code, Chapter 1...also shows the flag folding ceremony and what each fold means........
Sorry, I don't know how to post a clickable link...
snopes is the one I went with.
oh, it did it on it's own!
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