Giant Flags Add Reverence & Pride To Newtown’s Parade

By Kaaren Valenta

Several thousand parade goers fell into a reverential hush as a giant crane lifted a 45 by 90-foot United States flag high over the intersection of Main and Sugar (Route 302) streets.

As a canon boomed twice and a vintage B-17 flew overhead, Marc Valentine of the National Flag Exhibit led a ceremony that immediately preceded the start of this year’s Labor Day Parade.

“The ceremony was so moving,” parade emcee Mary Ann Murtha said afterwards. “So many people had their hands over the heart and tears running down their faces.”

Mrs Murtha had first seen the flag flying at the annual Falmouth, Mass., road race several years ago and thought it would be just perfect for Newtown’s parade. She did the legwork that finally brought the 300-pound flag, and two others equally as large, to town.

The World War II flag, recognizable by its 48 stars, was commissioned by former President George W. Bush for the 50th anniversary ceremony at Pearl Harbor. Before the flag was hoisted, hundreds of people joined to unroll it and two other equally large flags to their full length along Main Street.

The flags came to Newtown on the brightly painted National Flag Truck, which brings the National Flag Exhibit to ceremonies around the nation and the world. The exhibit also included the Mount Rushmore flag, so-called because it flew for the 50-year rededication of the face of President Lincoln on the Mt Rushmore national monument in South Dakota, and the Northern Expedition flag, which flew at a ceremony in the Arctic Circle.

The flag ceremony began at 9:15 am with the unrolling of the flags. Parade emcee Mike Giarratano, dressed in a top hat decorated with red, white and blue stars and stripes, raced down Main Street, encouraging everyone on the sidelines to join in.

 “This is awesome,” yelled Marsha Moskowitz, one of the parade judges, as she and Karen Finlayson, another judge, held tight to the side of the Mt Rushmore flag to keep it from touching the ground. Melissa Landin rushed from the driveway of her father’s dental practice across from the Booth Library to lend a hand while small children darted under the flags to hold them up in the center.

Although all of the flags are official government property, the national flag exhibit uses no government funding or taxpayer money; it is entirely supported by donations. Bringing the exhibit to Newtown cost $1,500, of which $1,000 was donated by J.P. Maguire Associates of Sandy Hook. Other donations were pledged by Andy and Beth Cluff of Automated Security Systems, Rand Whitney, Jim Setz of Rock Ridge Builders, and John and Terri-Ann Martocci of Newtown Savings Bank. Police Lt Dave Lydem, the unofficial keeper of the flags flown on Newtown’s flagpole, found the crane, which was provided by Quick Pick of Shelton for $720, less than half of the usual charge. Nick Kopcik, Jr, of Newtown Exxon donated the $720.

“We can’t thank them enough,” said Kym Stendahl, co-chairperson of the parade committee. “Our parade donations were down this year and we just didn’t have the money.”

The national flag truck is based in Boston at the Boston National Historical Park, “The Freedom Trail.” The truck carries a historic collection of five American flags that are stored under guard by the US Navy aboard the USS Constitution, more commonly known as “Old Ironsides.”

The flag truck has carried flags to 600 official ceremonies worldwide, and clocked more than 550,000 miles, including a historic 14,000-mile winter expedition from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, to Fairbanks, Alaska, to mark the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Alaska Highway. On June 6, 1994, in celebration of D-Day, it became the first American truck to pass under the English Channel in the Channel Tunnel from London to Paris.

The truck was donated by Navistar. It is serviced by dealers and returns each year to the Springfield, Ohio, factory where original assembly crew volunteers update it. It is driven around the country by Marc Valentine. The current flag truck will be decommissioned in December and a new one will take its place.

Mrs Murtha said there is a very slim chance that the flags might be back again next year.

“They have only visited six communities in the past year because they mostly are used in governmental ceremonies,” she explained. “We were very lucky to be chosen.”

Mrs Murtha said that the day after the parade, Mr Valentine telephoned her to say that even though he had seen the flag go up hundreds of times, the event in Newtown was “stirring and powerful.”

“He told me that the B-17, the cannon being fired, and the enthusiasm of the public made for a very special day,” Mrs Murtha said. “He really enjoyed our town.”

A book about the National Flag Truck and the flags is available for $10 plus $3 shipping/handling by writing to National Flag Truck, Zero Boston Avenue, Halifax, MA 02338.