In the words of our national anthem, I pray that Old Glory’s broad stripes and bright stars never cease their gallant streaming.”Julian Campbell
CULLMAN – The Cullman Elks Lodge #1609 held its annual Flag Day ceremony Wednesday night, and the event was both educational and entertaining. The history of the American flag was explained while various historic flags were carried and displayed by area veterans. Patriotic songs were sung and attendees were able to meet some of our local veterans who bravely fought for our flag. Special guest speaker for the night was Julian Campbell, a 96-year-old WWII veteran who told of his adventures flying combat missions. Campbell was very charming and a wonderful storyteller.
“The resurgence of patriotism since September 11, 2001 has rekindled respect for our flag,” said Ken Brown, retired USAF colonel and Vietnam veteran. “Today we see the star spangled banner wherever we turn: in our homes, businesses, automobiles and billboards. Such displays stimulate our love for our nation and for what it stands; they remind us of the sacrifices being made by men and women of our armed forces around the world and they are a tribute to the heroes of the police and fire departments the nation over.
“The greatest influence of this flag, however, lies in the hearts and minds of millions of people. It has waved over the unparalleled progress of a nation in developing democratic institutions, scientific and technological knowledge, education and culture. It has served as a beacon for millions of poor and oppressed refugees abroad and stands as a promise that the under-privileged will not be forgotten.”
Halfway through the program, Brown showed the audience the most iconic photo taken during all of World War II, the photo of U.S. Marines raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi after the Battle of Iwo Jima. After talking about the picture, he introduced 90-year-old C. J. Burney, a Marine from Cullman who fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
“I’d just like to say what the flag means to a fighting man,” Burney said. “There’s not much here to us, but when they raised the flag on the 23rd day of February 1945, we’d only been there five days, but we could see the flag as it went up. The 5th Division, 28th Marines are the ones who raised the flag; three of the men got killed right there. I was in the 4th Division, the 14th Marines and we were up the beach from this, but it gave us a new boost. We thought the battle had been won. That flag makes a lot of difference to our fighting men, we should be proud of our flags, from George Washington’s time on down to today.”
Campbell was last to speak. He told of his days of military service and how he piloted 40 missions during World War II, flew for the new U.S. Air Force, flying transports throughout the Pacific during the Korean War and flew combat missions in Vietnam. A veteran of three wars, he had the following to say about the American flag.
“When I think about our many enemies both here and abroad, when I see our flag burned by protesters, I sometimes wonder what our future holds. But in the words of our national anthem, I pray that Old Glory’s broad stripes and bright stars never cease their gallant streaming. Thank you, God bless you and God bless the United States.”
The American flag was honored in a very special way Wednesday night at the Elks Lodge. It was both an honor and a privilege to learn more about its history and to hear from people who put their lives in the line of fire to protect it.
See full photo gallery at https://www.facebook.com/CullmanSense/.
