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Understanding the meaning of
the flag draped coffin
A
flag is laid on the coffin of someone who has been in the military. The flag is
given to the widow or widower. At a military funeral the 21-gun salute is for
the sum of the numbers in the year 1776.
See Diagrams Below
Here are the meanings for
the thirteen folds.
The 1st fold
of the flag is a symbol of life.
The 2nd fold
is a symbol of the belief in eternal life.
The 3rd fold
is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing the ranks who gave a
portion of their lives for the defense of the country to attain peace throughout
the world.
The 4th fold
represents the weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to
Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for His divine guidance.
The 5th fold
is a tribute to the country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our Country,
in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our
country, right or wrong.”
The 6th fold
is for where people’s hearts lie. It is with their heart that They pledge
allegiance to the flag of the United! States Of America, and the Republic for
which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for
all.
The 7th fold
is a tribute to its Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that they
protect their country and their flag against all her enemies, whether they be
found within or without the boundaries of their republic.
The 8th fold
is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that
we might see the light of day.!
The 9th fold
is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been through their faith,
their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who
have made this country great has been molded.
The 10th fold
is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for
the defense of their country since they were first born.
The 11th fold
represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon and
glorifies in the Hebrews eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The 12th fold
represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the Christians eyes, God the
Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
The 13th fold
or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding them of
their nations motto, “In God We Trust.”
After the flag is
completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the appearance of a cocked hat,
ever reminding us of the soldiers who served under General George Washington,
and the Sailors and Marines who served under Captain John Paul Jones, who were
followed by their comrades and shipmates in the Armed Forces of the United
States, preserving for them the rights, privileges and freedoms they enjoy
today.
Flag
Draped Coffin Folding
Do you know that at military funerals, the 21-gun salute stands for
the sum of the numbers in the year 1776?
Have you ever noticed the honor guard pays meticulous attention to
correctly folding the United States of America Flag 13 times? You
probably thought it was to symbolize the original 13 colonies, but
we learn something new every day!
The 1st fold of the flag is a symbol of life.
The 2nd fold is a symbol of the belief in eternal life.
The 3rd fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans
departing the ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the
defense of the country to attain peace throughout the world.
The 4th fold represents the weaker nature, for as American citizens
trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as
in time of war for His divine guidance.
The 5th fold is a tribute to the country, for in the words of
Stephen Decatur, "Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may
she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."
The 6th fold is for where people's hearts lie. It is with their
heart that They pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States
Of America, and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under
God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.
The 7th fold is a tribute to its Armed Forces, for it is through the
Armed Forces that they protect their country and their flag against
all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the
boundaries of their republic.
The 8th fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of
the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day.
The 9th fold is a tribute to womanhood, and Mothers. For it has been
through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the
character of the men and women who have made this country great has
been molded.
The 10th fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his
sons and daughters for the defense of their country since they were
first born.
The 11th fold represents the lower portion of the seal of King David
and King Solomon and glorifies in the Hebrews eyes, the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The 12th fold represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in the
Christians eyes, God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
The 13th fold, or when the flag is completely folded, the stars are
uppermost reminding them of their nations motto, "In God We Trust."
Retreat Flag Folding
As an Army and Navy custom, the flag is lowered daily at the last note of
retreat. Special care should be taken that no part of the flag touches the
ground. The Flag is then carefully folded into the shape of a tri-cornered hat,
emblematic of the hats worn by colonial soldiers during the war for
Independence. In the folding, the red and white stripes are finally wrapped into
the blue, as the light of day vanishes into the darkness of night.
This custom of special folding is reserved for the United States Flag alone.
How to fold the Flag
Step 1
To properly fold the Flag, begin by holding it waist-high with another person
so that its surface is parallel to the ground.
Step 2
Fold the lower half of the stripe section lengthwise over the field of
stars, holding the bottom and top edges securely.
Step 3
Fold the flag again lengthwise with the blue field on the outside.
Step 4
Make a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to
meet the open (top) edge of the flag.
Step 5
Turn the outer (end) point inward, parallel to the open edge, to form a
second triangle.
Step 6
The triangular folding is continued until the entire length of the flag is
folded in this manner.
Step 7
When the flag is completely folded, only a triangular blue field of stars
should be visible.
Flag Folding Ceremony
- The flag folding ceremony described
by the Uniformed Services is a dramatic and uplifting way to honor the flag on
special days, like Memorial Day or Veterans Day, and is sometimes used at
retirement ceremonies.
Here is a typical sequence of the reading:
-
- (Begin reading as Honor Guard or Flag Detail is coming forward).
The flag folding ceremony represents the same religious principles on
which our country was originally founded. The portion of the flag denoting
honor is the canton of blue containing the stars representing the states our
veterans served in uniform. The canton field of blue dresses from left to
right and is inverted when draped as a pall on a casket of a veteran who has
served our country in uniform.
- 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.
-
- (Wait for the Honor Guard or Flag Detail to unravel and fold the flag into
a quarter fold--resume reading when Honor Guard is standing ready.)
The first fold of our flag 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 departing
our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to
attain a peace throughout the world.
-
- The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens
trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times
of war for His divine guidance.
-
- The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen
Decatur, "Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be
right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."
-
- The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we
pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the
republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all.
-
- The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the
Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her
enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our
republic.
-
- The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of
the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor
mother, for whom it flies on mother's day.
-
- The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their
faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women
who have made this country great have been molded.
-
- The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons
and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.
-
- The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower
portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their
eyes, 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."
-
- (Wait for the Honor Guard or Flag Detail to inspect the flag--after the
inspection, resume reading.)
After the flag is completely folded and tucked in, it takes on the
appearance of a cocked hat, ever reminding us of the soldiers who served
under General George Washington and the sailors and marines who served under
Captain John Paul Jones who were followed by their comrades and shipmates in
the Armed Forces of the United States, preserving for us the rights,
privileges, and freedoms we enjoy today.
| The Flag Folding Ceremony above is from the
US Air Force Academy |
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