Soco participates in Retirement Ceremony

Flag Ceremony

Soco participated in a Retirement Ceremony, January 23, 2009 as a sideboy for the passing of the flag.

The following script is slowly read, with pauses sufficiently spaced, to allow the National Ensign to be solemnly passed from one sideboy to the next and ultimately to the retiree.

The passing of the Ensign is to be conducted with slow salutes; once from the receiving sideboy and once from the flag bearer.

"OLD G"
I AM THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. MY NAME IS OLD GLORY. I FLY ATOP THE WORLD'S TALLEST BUILDINGS. I STAND WATCH IN AMERICA'S HALLS OF JUSTICE. I FLY MAJESTICALLY OVER GREAT INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING. I STAND GUARD WITH THE GREATEST MILITARY POWER IN THE WORLD. LOOK UP AND SEE ME!

I STAND FOR PEACE - HONOR - TRUTH AND JUSTICE. I STAND FOR
FREEDOM. I AM CONFIDENT - I AM ARROGANT - I AM PROUD.

WHEN I AM FLOWN WITH MY FELLOW BANNERS, MY HEAD IS A LITTLE
HIGHER - MY COLORS A LITTLE TRUER - I BOW TO NO ONE!

I AM RECOGNIZED ALL OVER THE WORLD. I AM WORSHIPPED - I AM LOVED AND I AM FEARED!

I HAVE FOUGHT IN EVERY BATTLE OF EVERY WAR FOR MORE THAN 200
YEARS:

GETTYSBURG, SHILO, APPOMATTOX, SAN JUAN HILL, THE TRENCHES OF FRANCE, THE ARGONNE FOREST, ANZIO, ROME, THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY, GUAM, OKINAWA, JAPAN., KOREA, VIETNAM, IN THE PERSIAN GULF AND A SCORE OF PLACES LONG FORGOTTEN, BY ALL BUT THOSE WHO WHERE THERE WITH ME.... I WAS THERE!

I LED MY SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AIRMEN AND MARINES. I FOLLOWED THEM
AND WATCHED OVER THEM. THEY LOVED ME.

I WAS ON A SMALL HILL IN IWO JIMA, I WAS DIRTY, BATTLE-WORN AND
TIRED. BUT MY SOLDIERS CHEERED ME! AND I WAS PROUD!

I HAVE BEEN SOILED, BURNED, TORN AND TRAMPLED ON THE STREETS OF COUNTRIES THAT I HAVE HELPED SET FREE. IT DOES NOT HURT - FOR I AM INVINCIBLE.

I HAVE BEEN SOILED, BURNED, TORN AND TRAMPLETED ON THE STREETS OF MY OWN COUNTRY - AND WHEN IT IS BY THOSE WHOM I HAVE SERVED IN BATTLE WITH - IT HURTS.

BUT I SHALL OVERCOME - FOR I AM STRONG! I HAVE SLIPPED THE BONDS OF EARTH AND FROM MY VANTAGE POINT ON THE MOON, I STAND WATCH OVER THE UNCHARTED NEW FRONTIERS OF SPACE.

I HAVE BEEN A SILENT WITNESS TO ALL OF AMERICA'S FINEST HOURS. BUT MY FINEST HOUR COMES WHEN I AM TORN IN STRIPS TO BE USED AS BANDAGES FOR MY WOUNDED COMRADES ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE -- WHEN I FLY AT HALF MAST TO HONOR MY SOLDIERS, MY SAILORS, MY AIRMEN, MY MARINES, AND --WHEN I LIE IN THE TREMBLING ARMS OF A GRIEVING MOTHER, AT THE GRAVESIDE OF HER FALLEN SON OR DAUGHTER--

I AM PROUD. MY NAME IS "OLD GLORY" - LONG MAY I WAVE, DEAR GOD,
LONG MAY I WAVE.







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Hors D'oeuvres served to the guests, what it looked like compared to what it is supposed to look like. Oh wait a minute, there were supposed to be hotdogs? Overall, the food was really good. I was asked to take a picture of the result of a junior sailor's cooking skills.