Maine Elks honor American flag on Flag Day

    AUGUSTA — On June 14, the Maine Elks Association (MEA) held its annual Flag Day service at the Togus V.A. Medical Center in Augusta. The service commemorated the 231st  anniversary of the adoption of the “Stars and Stripes.” The event was held at the facility’s chapel, which had a closed-circuit television system so that veterans throughout the facility could watch the service from their rooms.
    The event included an inspirational reading was given by President Elect Michael Powers of Houlton. Powers read portions of a stirring speech given by U.S. Senator John McCain at the Republican National Convention in 1988. McCain’s speech referenced a fellow prisoner of war, Mike Christian, who had created a makeshift American Flag, and who had sewn it to the inside of his shirt. The shirt would be hung in the cell at meal time, to which the prisoners would recite the Pledge of Allegiance. One day, the North Vietnamese had searched the cell, and found the flag sewn inside the shirt. Christian, who had created the flag was subsequently beaten severely, but upon his return to the cell, though badly injured, had begun creating a new flag. “He was not making that flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was for us to be able to pledge our allegiance to our flag and our country,” said McCain.  To remind those in attendance of the importance of the principals for which the Flag stands.