us flag symbolism

[simplexity]

I'm not sure whether or not to care about this. Apparently the US military flag folding ceremony has an 'unofficial' symbolic story that is read throughout, which is very religious. Wondering if anyone in the military has anything to say about it. Is this true?

http://www.usflag.org/foldflag.html

[wwjs]

Lots of Christian wankfest in that folding ceremony.

[Dragonetti]

Hmmm, I do not trust that site, since it is not a military one. Seems like Evangelical-bans trying to put a religious spin. I have served and never heard of that.

https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/mfh/getLinks.do?tab=Flag

This is the military site that governs the proper folding. I would look at anything Army Regulation (AR) or Navy. Usually gives a little history then the proper technique.

The flag is given to the fallen love ones are to pay respect to the individual, who sacrifice their life for the freedom of other and country.

The triangle is suppose to represent the tri-cornered hats worn in the Revolution.

Most military traditions are base in History not religion. Also, most of the traditions were brought by General Jack Black Pershing. One of the highest ranking generals in US History next to George Washington.

[NoahsFarce]

Pride in the flag is bullshit unless you worked your ass off to get into this country. Which is why it's bullshit when illegal immigrants wave their country's flag instead of the American one when protesting for rights.

And who cares? It's just a ceremony. Bigger fish...




EDIT: Not bullshit if you fought for the flag under guise of defending the country

[Dragonetti]

I served to defend and help my country. There are strict regulations against promoting one religion over another. I can understand you hate for those waving the flags of another country, but freedom is freedom, weather you like it or not.

[simplexity]

@Dragonetti

That all makes sense. I think I've heard the part about it representing the hats worn in the revolutionary war before, maybe in elementary school or something. I originally got this as a forwarded email from my dad(who is religious) and I googled it finding this same ceremony on several pages. Really I just wanted to find out when the ceremony was originally popularized. But anyway, I found this site and the ceremony is deemed unconstitutional when used in official ceremonies, so that's good enough for me.

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/more/folds.htm

@NoahsFarce

People should have the right to wave their own flag, yes, but when it is for protesting their rights, their rights in the US, it does seem pretty dumb to not be waving the US flag.

[Dragonetti]

Yes, the US Military has been over ran by the very religious, but I have yet to find any regulation, which boosts any religion over another. I am not longer active duty, but I still work and train with active duty members.

[NoraBrimstone]

It's juat a fucking flag? A piece of fabric.

I've always found it strange that Americans tend to react strongly to flag burning, as if a person is being burned alive or something. "They burned our flag!!!" Actually, if they bought it, it's their flag.

Then I wonder if it's down to that creepy brainwashy Pledge thing they sometimes show kids being forced to do in American TV shows, assuming shools genuinely do do that to the children sometimes.

[Minimalist]

It isn't the regulations that have to be watched, Dragon. It's the officers.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/20...ves-charge

Citing overt religiosity on campus, a West Point Academy cadet publicly quit this week just months before graduation. This is not the first time the military has come under fire for practices that nonreligious students see as aggressively evangelical.

As we have found out, the officers interpret the regulations as they wish.

[popeyespappy]

I spent my last 4 months in the Army as the NCOIC of the honor guard at Fort Huachuca. Some of the things we did while I was attached to honor guard included firing cannons at the inauguration of the soon to be impeached Governor of Arizona Evan Mecham, taking care of the bitch to fold in any kind of wind 20’ x 38’ garrison flag and provide the honor detail for veteran’s funerals.

The last time I attended a funeral with military honors was a couple of years ago for one of my uncles. The army sent two people to his funeral. They played Taps on a boom box, carefully folded the casket flag and presented it to my aunt. At Huachuca we did it a little different in 86-87. A burial detail consisted of 16 soldiers. A real bugler, an eight member rifle squad and a seven member casket detail. We had two burial details that traveled all over Arizona and New Mexico providing the honor guard at funerals. I personally handed 63 carefully folded casket flags with three expended cartridges tucked inside to the next of kin.

We took pride in what we did and drilled every day we weren’t on the road. A fact that was quite apparent the day we did a funeral in Phoenix at the same time the Air Force was doing another one at the same cemetery. I was embarrassed for the Air Force that day due to their unprofessional performance. We also spent some time talking about the symbolism involved in the ceremony. This was almost 30 years ago, and I’ve lost a few penguins of the iceberg since then. But I don’t remember any particular emphasis on Christianity. In fact I do remember a few Jewish funerals. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, but I do know that if it did the hard drinking crew I spent four months in charge of couldn’t have given a shit one way or the other.