How many flags do you need?

I have been a huge fan of flags ever since I was a young boy. My passion for flags is inherited I believe. One of five children, we all watched my dad proudly display his surplus navy signal flags underneath the American flag on special days. His initials were JCM so he had found those corresponding signal flags at an Army Navy store. We would all line up at 0800 and each of us had an assignment. Once the moment approached, all of the flags would go racing up the pole to proudly flap in the wind. I still have those flags. When my mom was doing her garage cleanup on her way to her townhouse, she gave them to me. If you look at the first picture, you can see them on the left side.

Later in life, I would find a picture of my grandfather Mac as a young man on board his ship in World War 1. He was practicing semaphore on the signal bridge of the USS Amphitrite. That ship was a relic from the Spanish American war that was pressed into service to patrol the waters between New York and Philadelphia. Originally laid down for service in the Civil War, it was only half completed by wars end. It sat in a shipyard, unfinished, until the navy needed ships to fight the Spanish. These monitors had coal fired boilers with little ventilation, so operating in the Caribbean waters was no easy thing. Plus, her freeboard was low to the water so ever large wave sent water below decks and made for a miserable ride. Finally, her speed was limited by her weight to propulsion ration so she had to be towed by more powerful ships just to keep up.

Flags were necessary to communicate since wireless was still in its early stages.

Without those signal flags, good order among the fleet would have been impossible. Even today, flags still have a role in most navies around the world.

Flags played a central role all through my growing up. We placed hundreds of them on graves every Memorial Day week. It was a challenge to find all of the graves of the men who had served in wars dating back to our countries founding. Time and weather made finding the little metal markers difficult to locate and often the holders were stolen or just destroyed by the cemetery workers in their speed to cut the grass.

I always tried to get to my family’s section first. The MacPhersons served in every war since the civil war, so we always made sure that theirs were properly equipped with the metal markers.

 

We raised flags at our boy scout troop meetings and summer camp. The ceremonies were always proper and dignified. Those same flags are still in the basement of my home church. Troop flags, national boy scout flags with award banners and other special flags that were awarded. It was an honor to carry the flags during the many parades we participated in.

Navy Flags

That respect for flags would later continue when I went to boot camp. In the summer of 1972, I learned about other types of flags. The flag was used to help identify where you were supposed to be. Not that there was any doubt from the very first day. If you were not where you were supposed to be at all times, someone with a very dour look on their face would educate you. So, we learned to follow the company flag.

I have to confess that despite my training in the scouts, I struggled with the signal flags part of boot camp. I guess that made becoming a submariner fortuitous. We didn’t have many opportunities to use signal flags underwater.

Our boot camp company competed to win a large number of special flags that we proudly carried during formal occasions. That summer, company 215 at the Great Lakes Naval Recruit Training Command was the winner of the largest number of flags and we gained the distinction of being the flag company.

This is a good reference for my generation in relation to boot camp flags:

https://www.ggarchives.com/Military/NavyArchives/USNTC/Articles/CompetitiveFlags.html

After boot camp, I would continue a lifelong passion for flags that extended beyond the red, white and blue. I collect patches and later actual flags for the places I would live and travel through. Most of the patches ended up in a wooden box but include a lot of the countries I visited while I worked my way around the world. Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Germany, Sweden, England, Scotland, Ireland and many more. I also collected small desktop flags for a while, but they did not survive the last move. Downsizing took its toll.

My addiction to flags did not diminish as I got older.

It started out pretty innocent.

I purchased an army flag to display when a good friend of mine went to liberate Iraq. There were anti-war protests growing across the country so a number of us started gathering together for flag waves to show our support for the troops. I still have the original army flag but since that time added flags from all of the services (including Space Force). I also have union jacks from my time in the navy as well as the one that the navy readapted after 911. The don’t tread on me flag with the red and white stripes will always be my personal favorite.

When we lived in central Pennsylvania, I started flying my flags on special occasions.

I also added a few more including a number of early patriotic flags. By the time we moved to Western Pennsylvania, the collection had grown quite large. Fortunately, I had installed a large chain link fence for my dog to stay safely enclosed in. The fence served as a natural way to display many of the flags during patriotic holidays. I would spend days creating the display (much to my wife’s dismay) but it gave me a lot of joy. I think the worst for her was when I would also add lights to enhance the display.

Personal note: while I have flags from many nations there is one flag that I do not have nor will I ever. That is the flag of the United Nations. The only time that flag ever flew over a house I owned was once in Michigan when the previous owner had left it up on the day we moved in. It is somewhere in a landfill now. I didn’t want to waste a match. The original concept of the United Nations has been perverted so much by countries that used the shield of the body to hide their evil intentions. This has negated any legitimate purpose today.

Fast forward to 2024

We recently downsized and moved to a gated HOA community. While you will see many types of flags, there is a limit of two flags at a time. That almost seems cruel and inhumane. But I knew the rules before I signed the contract. The flag collection is sitting in a storage box in the garage. I will probably rotate their display over the months to come. I even have a few yard sign sized flags which skirts the rules a bit. I imagine someday the flags will end up in the landfill unless my nephew Eugene rescues them. Except for the American flags which of course will have a proper and dignified end. I know the rules after all.

The central flag of every display was and always will be my American flag.

That flag still stands for freedom. It is a unifying symbol that communicates to all that we are supposed to be one nation, undivided. Men and women have fought and died for what it represents. Many have sacrificed their health and personal freedom for the people who pledge allegiance to her. In times of battle and in times of peace, she is a rallying point for the faithful. All of the fifty stars are in the same field for a reason. They represent that we must all stand together. The thirteen stripes represent the original pact between patriots to fight tyranny and provide liberty.

While I collect flags and symbols from many nations, they are not my flags nor are they my nation. America is a nation of many that became one. My great grandfather fought in the civil war as the first one in his family that was born here. To the best of my knowledge, he never once saluted the flag of his father’s former country. Their generation understood that for freedom to continue, there needed to be a bonding of the people into a unified force.

In this age of division, I pray that all peoples can shake off the need for the type of selfish individualism that sets us apart. As we approach the 250^th year of our nation’s birth, the real question will be, can we still hold together through the storm. I remember the lessons of my youth as a sailor. In a classroom where we were learning about damage control, the most important thing we were taught was to not allow ourselves to become separated. Our greatest strength was operating as a team and lifting each other up. As we approach 2025, I hope that message will resonate with more people.

Mister Mac