THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 25, 1995 TAG: 9511230044
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Congratulations to Arthur Pearsall of the AMVETS Post 69 and Richard Erickson of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association for standing up for what they believed in. They are American veterans and should be honored as such. Those who agreed that the flag of the Philippines should be flown in the Veterans Day Parade, and the reasons they gave, obviously do not know history and, most important, they do not know flag protocol.
Flag protocol states that no national flag will be dipped to any other national flag. Any time a group of nations comes together for whatever reason, the flags of all those nations are flown at equal height to the other: none higher, none lower. As reference, check out the United Nations Building in New York.
The Philippines are now an independent nation with a flag of their own, which should be given the same respect as any other national banner.
In World War II, Filipinos died fighting for their freedom. However, the Philippines belonged to the United States of America during that period and, therefore, any Filipino who served in the military at, and since, that time, swore allegiance to the American flag.
They may be Filipino, and I will respect their pride in that nationality, but Veterans Day in America is a day set aside to honor all American veterans. If the Filipinos have served in the American military, they should allow us to honor them as American veterans of Filipino extraction under the Stars and Stripes.
ELIZABETH O. MINER
AMVETS Post 69
WACVETS Association M.A.L.
Virginia Beach, Nov. 11, 1995 by CNB