Post 1336 goes back to school

St. Juvin Post 1336 Veterans of Foreign Wars visited with the 325 fourth and fifth grade students, as well as staff members at Coal City Intermediate School on Wednesday, Oct. 10 with its History of the U. S. Flag presentation.  
The visit marks St. Juvin Post's third annual presentation at the historic school that is home to the Community Veterans Memorial.
Students helped out with the presentations that began with pre-Revolutionary War banners and went up to our present 50-star flag.
The first Continental Flag, often called the Betsy Ross Flag, was held by students Jori Tucker and Renee Stukel.  In 1777 the Continental Congress called for a flag with a combination or stars and stripes with little other guidance.
Hope Stewart and Kamryn Hansen assisted Post members in presenting the first Navy Jack, which was the battle flag of the Continental Fleet's flagship “Alfred,” when the fleet sortied to attack the British Navy. The ship was commanded by Commodore Esek Hopkins.
After the terrorists attack on Sept. 11 then Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England  sent a memo to all ships and store stations: “The temporary substitution of this Jack flag  represents a historic reminder of the nation's and the Navy's origin and the will to persevere and triumph.”
The United States Navy today uses this early flag as the Jack displayed at the bow of every naval vessel not under way between the hours of 0800 and sunset local time.
The presentation to students also included the origins and history of the “Pledge of Allegiance” that students recite each school day in their classrooms.
The fourth and fifth graders also saw the ceremonial folding of a casket flag with the “Thirteen Folds” explained, and received a flag pin.
Additionally, St. Juvin Post conducted a free flag raffle for each grade where the winners received a U.S. flag kit with mounting hardware.
Members of the fourth  grade class also visited the Community Veteran's Memorial on the school ground and had questions answered by Post members.