SAR, DAR ceremony honors American flag, military

Its red, white and blue ruffle in the wind, but its message of hope never wavers. Tattered and tried, the American flag is an enduring symbol of the country's longstanding freedom.

And plenty recognize its significance. More than 200 people attended a ceremony honoring the U.S. flag, active military and veterans Saturday afternoon at Gabe Nesbitt Community Park in McKinney.

The event, sponsored by the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) and Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), featured the presentation and retirement of colors by the SAR Color Guard, made up of members of the McKinney and Plano chapters.

Special tributes were made to all military branches, and SAR Certificates of Military Service were presented to several, including Master Sgt. Shawn Cox of the U.S. Air Force, Staff. Sgt. Jacob McCormack of the U.S. Marine Corps., Petty Officer Mitchell Pratt, Staff Sgt. Shaun Kotko of the U.S. Army, Stephan C. Ashby Jr. (Vietnam veteran who earned three Purple Hearts), Paul Lawrence Allen of the U.S. Army, Donald Babbs of the U.S. Army and Sgt. Homer Hogues, U.S. Army Air Force veteran who served as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II.

Receiving an honorable mention at the ceremony was Sgt. Tillman Short, a Pearl Harbor survivor who served in Guadalcanal and earned five Bronze Stars.

McKinney Mayor Pro Tem Travis Ussery greeted the crowd, and County Commissioner Matt Shaheen read a proclamation designating "that the third Saturday of May of each year be set aside in Collin County for holding patriotic activities in observance of retiring with dignity and honor our old, tattered and worn United States flags that have served as the visible symbol of our great nation."

Jack Twiggs, president of the McKinney SAR chapter, told the crowd, "The SAR is a fraternal and civic society composed of lineal descendants of the men who wintered at Valley Forge, who signed the Declaration of Independence, who fought in the battles of the American Revolution, who served in the Continental Congress or otherwise supported the cause of American independence."

He added, "Today, the SAR is the leading male lineage society that salutes those brave men and women who pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to the battle for independence, and that perpetuates the ideals of independence that our ancestors fought for and won during the American Revolution."

Members of the DAR also participated in the program. Chaplain Beegee Boniface of the McKinney DAR gave the invocation, and Joy Martin, a regent of the Preston Trail DAR in Sherman, led the Texas flag salute after Peter McLellan, McKinney SAR vice president, led the national pledge.

Carolyn Underwood, co-host of the event and regent of the John Abston DAR chapter was also introduced, as were members of the Disabled American Veterans Organization and Buffalo Soldiers.

Members of the Celina High School Chamber Singers sang several patriotic songs at different times throughout the program, and Heritage Fife and Drum Corps provided additional music.

The ceremony ended with a demonstration on how to properly retire a worn flag. Daniel Mitlyng and Ben Dean of Celina Boy Scout Troop 269 properly cut an old, worn flag into four quarters, wrapped each part and dropped them into a fire as Alec Chilton of the Celina High School Band played Taps.

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