February 21, 2006 > Scouts display patriotic spirit

by Ron Fong

Three-hundred pocket flags are going almost 8,000 miles from the Cub Scouts of Pack 447 of Fremont, to Sgt Karissa Smith at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Smith is part of the first mother-daughter team serving in a deployed unit to a combat zone, and she has requested pocket flags from The Pocket Flag Project to carry a bit of home with them. The Scouts are first through fifth graders, who mostly attend Gomes and Mission Valley elementary schools, are sending pocket flags to troops overseas in Kuwait. Included in each package is a handwritten card which says: A flag for your pocket so you can always carry a little piece of home. We are praying for you and we are proud of you. Thank you for defending our country and our freedom."

Since 2001, over 700,000 flags have been prepared and folded into 3 by 3 inch plastic bags to send to frontline troops, all from private donations. The priority is for troops serving overseas, and not for veterans or forces stationed in the USA.

"Our objective is to help get as many pocket flags as we can into the pockets of our military personnel on the front lines. We want them to know that people care and that we keep them in our hearts and our prayers, as the war on terrorism continues on," says Assistant Cubmaster Jon Williams.

The Pocket Flag Project was conceived in October 2001, by Scout Leader LuWanda Ford of Wheat Ridge, Col., after visiting with fellow Boy Scout leaders who are veterans who served in Vietnam and the Gulf wars. Both of them carried small, folded flags in their left breast pockets.

People seeking to provide donations for the effort, or wish to do their own pocket flag project, should go to http://www.geocities.com/pocketflagproject/.