Citizen’s dedication to the flag

REMINISCING ROYSE CITY

By Millie Jean Coppedge

With the 4th of July quickly approaching, our thoughts will be turning to words like freedom, parades, the flag, sacrifice, and honor. I want to share a recent experience and some history of the flags flown in Royse City that might touch your hearts with the dedication a few citizens have made over many years.

A couple of weeks ago, I was returning from several days’ vacation at an Oklahoma resort. As I drove in on Highway 66, I noticed United States flags waving in the strong breeze.

At first I laughed to myself as I thought “Oh, the city is welcoming me home! How nice!”

Then chills raced over me as I began to try to describe to myself how the sight of so many flags made me feel.

I felt pride that we as a county are free to fly our flag, whenever and wherever we want. I was so touched that I had to pull over to the side of the street and sit there in my car taking it all in.

Honor and privilege for having been born in this great nation surely was on the list. I could have been born in a county where there is extreme hunger, constant corruptness and indescribable violence, where no flag or mention of God even exists.

I was raised to show respect and reverence to my parents, my elders, my flag and my country. As I have been in the field of education for so long, I see on a daily basis that the majority of our young people lack that respect. Most of all, they lack respect for themselves. It is hard to show respect for others when one has no respect for his own self. Whether at school, church, home, or wherever, respect and reverence must be taught. We as a people seem to have fallen down in making sure our young people grow up with the same values and morals that we did.

A sense of sadness came to mind that so many young Americans don’t even know about all the blood that has been shed, service men and women wounded emotionally, spiritually, and physically, and lives that have been lost, so we have the privilege to fly the flag. I have been a teacher for 25 years of elementary age children and know that students are taught very little about war, sacrifice, and the struggles of those who have come before them have had to make. When I taught fifth grade, only two pages in the approximately 500-700 page Social Studies book were about World War II.

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For a little history behind the flags which fly in Royse City, one only has to talk with Don and Peggy Becknell. According to them, Clyde Hicks, the late Erby Campbell, the late John Benetine, and Don were all members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. They began putting up the flags in downtown Royse City around the mid-1980s.

The flags are displayed on all flag-flying days like Flag Day, the 4th of July, Veterans’ Day, and Memorial Day.

Eventually, it was Erby, Don, and their wives Julia and Peggy who put them up for about 10-15 years. Over 100 flag adorned Main Street and a few side streets. They were spaced about 18-20 feet apart.

“It takes quite a while to put up 100 flags,” said Don. “But it took longer to take them down than to put up. If they were wet, like if it had rained, we had to dry them first then fold and put them away carefully.”

“One thing”, Don added, “We never left them up over night,” We put them up in the morning and took them down before sundown. If we saw that it was going to rain, we took them down. The flags were originally stored at the Zaner newspaper building before it closed. Now they are stored in the back of the Rest Haven Funeral Home.”

“One day as we were putting the flags up, a lady who taught school here in Royse City pulled her car over and stopped. She told up that she appreciated so much that we put the flags up on the holidays. She said they always look so nice and she just wanted to say ‘Thank you’. It’s nice to hear from people how much they like what we do and that they take the time to tell us their feelings.”

“After Erby died, the Rotary Club took over the honor. People donated money to originally buy the flags and poles. They cost over $50 for one flag and the pole. Erby sold some things he had and donated the money to purchase more flags. Representative Ralph Hall from Rockwall and others citizens also donated flags.”

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In my research for flag information I found that according to the Standards of Respect as is defined in Flag Etiquette, “No United States flag shall fly after sundown or over night.”

Also, according to the Betsy Ross Flag Rules and Regulations “The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.”

I wonder how many people have ever heard these two rules. I have never heard the one about our flag being considered a living thing. This gives me a whole new outlook over and beyond the respect I have for the flag. Maybe if our students were taught some of the information about the flag, they too would show more respect for the symbol of our freedom.

I would like to give a special “Thank You” to Don and Peggy Becknell, Julia Campbell, Clyde Hicks, those who helped in the early days but are no longer with us, and the Rotary Club for keeping this tradition going that we may be so vividly reminded of what a great nation in which we live.

If you have not seen the display of flags, make a trip and drive through downtown Royse City one of the days mentioned. The sight will surely restore your sense of pride and patriotism.