A Star Spangled Memorial Day

Growing up in Glendale, Ohio gave me a special appreciation for Memorial Day. All villagers proudly fly Old Glory in honor of the veterans marching by in the annual parade. We nostalgically explain it to others through an iconic metaphor, a Norman Rockwell painting, because it seems in addition to those who have honorable served our country that every neighbor, soccer player, cub scout, brownie troop, and dog participates in the festivities...leaving very few people to wave-back on the sidelines!

Fire trucks roaring kick off the parade and round up the rear, with the Princeton High School Band sandwiched in the middle holding the tempo as they play Anchors Away, The Caissons Go Rolling Along, and Semper Fidelis to name a few. Weaving through the hilly streets it’s a picturesque sea of Red, White & Blue.

The parade’s climax takes place at the final destination, the War Memorial, with words shared by a local Veteran, the student with the winning oration “What Memorial Day Means to Me”, WWII vintage aircraft flyover in the Missing Man formation, and the 21-Gun Salute with Taps filtering into the backdrop.

I’m thankful for a neighborhood that celebrates our flag at half-mast, and what has made our country great by freezing time in the heartland of America to appreciate the men and women who have so valiantly and faithfully risked all to serve the country they so dearly love to preserve ultimate freedom.

Kit Hinrich’s renown American flag-related collection Long May She Wave: A Graphic History of the American Flag Currently on display at the Cross Timbers Fine Arts Center in Stephenville, Texas through Wednesday, July 14, 2010.
Henrich’s unique banner beautifully compiles a historical montage of American flags that showcases the richness of design that encapsulated a time when American flags did not have a uniform design.

He states, “...as a designer, creating graphic symbols is an important aspect of my work. The American flag was a symbol I couldn't leave alone. Designers are continually challenged to come up with visual icons that evoke immediate recognition, emotional power, and universal meaning. By any standard, the American flag has brand value that every designer would envy.”
http://www.betterwall.com/bnr.php?bid=297
http://www.stephenvilletexas.org/community/eventdetails.cfm?eventID=3486&dateID=4231

Happy Memorial Day!
The Painted Memory
www.thepaintedmemory.com