I am so grateful for the people who accepted assignments and participated in this program. They each did a great job and I am so pleased and thankful for their willingness and their goodness. They made the program a success. Each practiced on their own, but we never gathered for a complete run through. Well-done my Friends! WELL DONE!
MC /Welcome & intro program
Prayer –
Reader 1 – (read while raising flag)
I Am Old Glory: For more than nine score years I have been the banner of hope and freedom for generation after generation of Americans. Born amid the first flames of America’s fight for freedom, I am the symbol of a country that has grown from a little group of thirteen colonies to a united nation of fifty sovereign states. Planted firmly on a high pinnacle of American faith, my gently fluttering folds have proved an inspiration to untold millions. Men have followed me into battle with unwavering courage. They have looked upon me as a symbol of national unity. They have prayed that they and their fellow citizens might continue to enjoy the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, which have been granted to every American as the heritage of free men. So long as men love liberty more than life itself; so long as they treasure the priceless privileges bought with the blood of our forefathers; so long as the principles of truth, justice and charity for all remain deeply rooted in human hearts, I shall continue to be the enduring banner of the United States of America.
(From the booklet Our Flag, written by Marine Master Sergeant Percy Webb.)
Pledge of Allegiance -
Background song - men’s choir (remain seated) reverently/softly (like a thought in the mind/background) sing the first 6 lines of You’re a Grand Ole Flag –softening voices toward the end and flag bearers get to their seats. Flag bearers can softly sing with choir as they walk to their seats.
Reader 2 – Stage hand for visual - / assorted flags
A flag is a standard, signal, banner, or ensign; it is an honored symbol of a people or a nation’s unity, its homes, achievements, glory, and high resolve. (p5 Your Flag)
The first flags adopted by our
Colonial forefathers were symbolic of their struggles with the wilderness of a
new land. (visual) Beavers, pine trees, rattlesnakes,
anchors, and various like insignia with mottoes such as “Hope”, “Liberty”,
“Appeal to Heaven” or “Don’t Tread on Me” were affixed to the different banners
of Colonial America. (p1-2 Our
Flag)
After the signing of the Declaration of
Independence in 1776, Americans realized they needed a national flag to take
the place of all the individual banners carried by the various regiments – one
that would symbolize the newly created union of states. (p 15 Your
Flag)
From that original flag created in 1777 the
flag has evolved and become what we see here today, with the 50th
star added in 1960. (p20 Your
Flag)
The Star Spangled Banner (first and last verses) Choir
Reader 3 – Stage hand / visual - / dressed as Moroni, holding title of liberty.
Throughout the ages man has developed character, courage, and strength by devotion to the symbols he believed in. (p5 Your Flag)
We know of one such symbol used years ago –
we read about it in our sacred scripture.
Amalickiah, who was desirous to be king, used
flattering words, promising judges the power they were seeking if they would
follow him, and causing much wickedness among the people, destroying the
foundation of liberty which God had granted unto them.
Moroni was chief commander of the Nephite
armies and heard of these dissensions. (visual – stand there until reader is
finished, then return to seat with reader, leaving the pole stuck in ground or
holder.) With
a desire to follow God and to bring peace back to his people, he rent his coat
and wrote upon it “in memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace,
our wives, and our children, and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.”
Moroni looked to God for help and
inspiration and as the source of freedoms and blessings; and after faithful prayer,
he rallied the people to defend their religion and their liberty. They put their trust in God, and God was with
them. (Alma 46)
Edmond Burke said “the only thing necessary
for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
We each need to trust in God and defend our
liberty and religion, just as did the people of Moroni, and our founding
fathers, the people we call pilgrims and pioneers, and many other righteous
people.
In God We Still Trust (Diamond Rio) Male Solo
Reader 4 – Stage hand for visual - / commandments display
“We must stand boldly for righteousness and truth, and must defend the cause of honor, decency, and personal freedom espoused by Washington, Madison, Adams, Lincoln, and other leaders who acknowledged and loved God.” (p90 The Spirit of America)
“The values that made us great are, in reality,
the commandments of God. (visual) They
provide the foundation upon which our republic was built.” (p90 The
Spirit of America)
“A
nation that keeps God’s commandments and walks in His ways will prosper. The framers of our Constitution knew that,
and they tried to lay a solid moral foundation for a society that could be so
blessed.” (p85 The Spirit of America)
It is our duty! Our duty to God and our Country. Look to God as our maker and as the source of
our freedoms and blessings. (p7 The Spirit of America)
You have each been given a flag or other symbol
of patriotism when you arrived today.
This symbol is meant to help remind and inspire you – inspire us – to
dedicate ourselves to freedom, with a desire to follow eternal truths to help
make a better people and a better nation.
(see
Elder Perry’s talk)
Remember, as Pres. Monson has promised – Your Future is as Bright as your
Faith!
Patriotic Hymn – America the Beautiful (1st verse only)
- Chorister - Pianist -
MC –
Normally we do not retrieve the flag as part
of our 4th of July flag program, but today we are going to take that
opportunity to hopefully help us gain a greater appreciation for our US flag.
There is no official flag folding ceremony and there is no
official meaning to each of the folds. However, there are a few optional flag
folding ceremonies available. The ceremony
we are using today is an abbreviated form of the program used by the Air Force
Academy.
( http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/more/folds.htm and http://www.usflag.org/fold.flag.html )
Reader 5 -
Flag Folding Ceremony (abbreviated) (While the flag is being lowered
read this paragraph)
In the Armed Forces of the
United States, at the ceremony of retreat, the flag is lowered, folded in a
triangle fold and kept under watch throughout the night as a tribute to our
nation’s honored dead. The next morning it is brought out and, at the ceremony
of reveille, run aloft as a symbol of our belief in the resurrection of the
body. But further, America’s freedom has proved that eternal vigilance is the
price of liberty. Our military knows this best. So America celebrates Memorial
Day and Veterans Day so that all Americans will remember its fallen heroes and
veterans. At a veteran’s funeral, the casket is draped with a flag, which is
then folded into a triangle and given to the family “on behalf of a grateful
nation.” That folding ceremony has a special meaning.
(Read these
with each fold of the flag)
• The first fold is a symbol
of life.
• The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
• The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran ….
• The fourth fold represents … American citizens trusting in God….
• The fifth fold is a tribute to our country….”
• The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our hearts that we pledge ….
• The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed forces ….
• The eighth fold is a tribute to our mothers ….
• The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood….
• The tenth fold is a tribute to father….
• The eleventh fold… glorifies… the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
• The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”
• The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
• The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran ….
• The fourth fold represents … American citizens trusting in God….
• The fifth fold is a tribute to our country….”
• The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our hearts that we pledge ….
• The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed forces ….
• The eighth fold is a tribute to our mothers ….
• The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood….
• The tenth fold is a tribute to father….
• The eleventh fold… glorifies… the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
• The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God We Trust.”
God Bless America - Female Solo
Closing Prayer / Blessing on Food –
MC - Closing remarks and info
