Short and touching with American Pride

My office received an e-mail from a Veteran a few weeks ago from Brian Arenella, a Veteran from Rehoboth.

Flag Retirement

I’m reaching out because I drive a tractor trailer for Win Waste Innovations and I found a flag in the garbage hanging over the edge of my trailer a couple weeks ago. My coworker and I were fishing up for the day and upon examination, I noticed a small portion of a flag and it turned out to be a special flag. It was a  5’x 9 1/2’ flag with 48 stars. It appears to have a government stamp on the white edge. From what I can tell it’s a coffin flag from a Soldier or Veteran who was buried prior to Alaska and Hawaii becoming states.

The flag was completely soaked in filth and has a big rip in it. Obviously it needs a proper retirement, but I decided to have it dry cleaned to have it dry cleaned before it gets retired because ig seemed appropriate to do so. I would like to get this to you for a proper flag  retirement ceremony. I assume this is something the American Legion does. I was just thinking given the flags history it would be worth pointing it out.

Update from the Director of Veteran Services

When this story spread around at Brian Arenella’s work place, Win Waste Innovations in Taunton, some employees reached out to him and stated they have a Veterans support group and decided to investigate when and where this 48 star flag was collected. Their goal is to located the job site, place the flag in a case and present it original family members.

History

The 48-star U.S. flag, used from 1912 to 1959, signifies the inclusion of Arizona and New Mexico as the 47th and 48th states. It represents a crucial era in American history, spanning both World Wars and the Great Depression, and was the first flag to have an officially regulated star arrangement (six rows of eight).

Key Details and Usage Examples:

Official Period: July 4, 1912 – July 3, 1959.

Design: The 48 stars are arranged in six horizontal rows of eight stars, a design specified by President Taft in 1912.

Lasting Service: It was the longest-serving U.S. flag until it was surpassed by the 50-star flag.

Historical: This flag served for 47 years, the longest-serving version until the 50-star flag surpassed it. Eight presidents served under it.

Design: The canton features 48 white, five-pointed stars arranged in six horizontal rows of eight, surrounded by the traditional 13 red and white stripes.

Era: It was the flag during major historical events, including World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and the Korean War.

The 48-star flag was adopted after Arizona (48th) and New Mexico (47th) were admitted to the Union, completing the continental United States.