Posted on 06/13/2008 10:43:44 AM PDT by jasoncann
West Chester - To commemorate Flag Day tomorrow the Chester County Victory Movement will sponsor a U.S. Flag Day rally outside the West Chester Court House. The rally is in support of the flag and the United States Army, which celebrates its 233rd birthday tomorrow.
"This is a day when all Americans should fly the American flag in honor of all the great things in our country, for all the freedoms we have," said Rich Davis, Chester County Victory Movement founder. "We want to do our part to honor Old Glory."
The Chester County Victory Movement was formed in reaction to the Chester County Peace Movement, which would congregate every Saturday to protest the Iraq War.
Retired Navy veteran, Rich Davis, said he grew tired of the Peace Movements weekly displays from what he called "far left political activists."
"I just decided they don't speak for me. They don't represent me," Mr. Davis said.
So on September 8, 2007, Mr. Davis challenged these anti-war protesters by standing alone "to show open and public support for our troops and their mission."
His single man rally has grown into a full-fledged movement with a base of about 30 supporters.
"We call ourselves sheep dogs," Victory Movement member Bud McCullough said. "A sheep dog will protect the sheep from being attacked by the wolves, and we consider the peace people to be wolves and they're trying to attack the American population, the American citizens."
"We're really patriotic Americans and they believe in the American way of life, the American system and they want to preserve it," Mr. McCullough said.
Mr. McCullough hopes to see a "sea of American flags" supporting the troops tomorrow on Flag Day.
The Flag Day rally, which begins at 10:45 a.m., will conclude at noon with the singing of the national anthem and "The Army Goes Rolling Along," the official song of the U.S. Army, in celebration of the Army's 233rd birthday.
Following the rally there will be a buffet at the Knights of Columbus Hall. P.A. Chris Hall, National Director of the Gathering of Eagles, a military support group that protects war memorials, will speak and Rep. Curt Schroder, R-155th, will present the Chester County Victory Movement with a U.S. Flag.
According to www.usflag.org, the idea for Flag Day is believed to have originated in 1885 by a schoolteacher who arranged for students to celebrate June 14, the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes, as "Flag Birthday."
Pennsylvania has had an instrumental role in the growth of Flag Day. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration. Three years later, the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dame of America adopted a resolution requesting all public servants and private citizens to display the American flag on June 14. The Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia directed that Flag Day exercises be held in Independence Square. School children, each carrying a small flags, assembled to sing patriotic songs.
In 1894, an organization was established in Illinois to promote observance of Flag Day exercises. The movement continued to grow in counties and states across the country. Then in 1949, President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.
Andrew Overton can be reached at aoverton@thebulletin.us
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