Happy Birthday US Coast Guard!

August 7, 2014August 7, 2014 ~ Online Stores ~ Leave a comment

The Coast Guard turned 224 years old yesterday August 4, 2014. Beginning in 1790, Congress commissioned a flotilla of 10 to enforce tariff and trade laws, prevent smuggling, and protect the collection of federal revenue. (www.military.com) The Coast Guard is one of the oldest organizations in our government. The original name was Revenue Marine and the Revenue Cutter Service the name was changed in 1915 when the government joined the Service with the Life-Saving Service to form an organization to serve all maritime services. Including, saving life at sea, enforcing our nation’s maritime laws, aid to maritime navigation, operating the nation’s Lighthouses, Merchant Marine licensing and inspection, since 2003 the Coast Guard has served under the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard has been a defensive frontline in its long esteemed history.

The Women’s Reserve of the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve program (officially nicknamed the “SPARs”), was first established in 1942. LCDR Dorothy Stratton transferred from the Navy WAVES to serve as the director of the SPARs. A total of 978 women officers and 11,868 enlisted women served in the SPARs during World War II. (www.uscg.mil) although women were keepers of lighthouses as early as the 1830’s. In 1973, Congressional legislation ended the Women’s Reserve and women were first officially integrated into the active-duty Coast Guard and the Coast Guard Reserve. This background is sparse (this is a blog!). For more 411 please check out the USCG link.

My girlfriend Melanie and I graduated from high school in 1979. I asked Melanie to tell her story.

What age were u when joined?

I went into the Coast Guard through the “Delayed Enlistment Program” in signed up when I was 17 yrs, I forged my mothers signature to the paper work.

Why the USCG versus another branch of the military?

Actually, there are 2 reasons – 1st one is that I got interested when in 6th grade on a field trip to an air station in Port Angeles, WA. Then I figured I’d go into a smaller military thinking that there may be better opportunities. I was not offered very many opportunities after high school.

What opportunities were offered u as a women?

None really, it was 1979 and they men including the officers thought of the women as “moral incentives for the men” kind of sucked. (that is another story in itself)

Save over 50% of retail on this flag at the US Flag Store!

What were your duties?

I was first stationed in Cape May, New Jersey (Boot camp). While in Cape May I won a push up contest against the guys and I was approached by an officer and asked if I would be interested in being the very first “Full Time” fire fighter in Kodiak, AK. Silly me thought why not. That was the hardest job I have ever had. Men usually only need to prove themselves once with other men, I was forced to proved my abilities daily (I had to carry 200lb men up and down ladders in and out of windows, etc…every stinking day. Then I was stationed in San Diego & Texas (ship and oil well firefighting schools). Then I was sent to Petaluma, CA (Coast Guard Station Two Rock)where I trained to be a radioman. Then to Charleston SC I was radioman their, and off the Miami, FL where I also was a radioman. (As far as busy USCG bases Miami was crazy, I would handle at least 20 SARS (Search & Rescue cases), about 5 Drug enforcement cases, and maybe 10 immigration cases at the same time. I extended my enlisted for one year and got out in 1984.

What is your proudest moment in your USCG career?

I have several but the one that stands out the most is in 1980 I was on Leave in Georgia and came across a vehicle overturned in a ditch. I crawled into the car and assisted the occupant while Billy Carter stood outside the car and kept putting out the fire that had erupted. He told his brother Jimmy about me and I was awarded one of the highest medals offered by the coast guard for bravery and courage.

Now that you have a daughter of your own, would u recommend a military career?

Yes, I would recommend the Coast Guard to my daughter, it taught me valuable lessons that I use every day.

What advice to young women seeking a Coast Guard career would you give?

Check into the academy or officer training schools, an officer life is a much better one. Also, keep your mouth shut, follow orders whether you agree with them or not and just try to have the best time you can.

Melanie was the First Full-Time Women Fire Fighter in the United States Coast Guard. What an accomplishment in that era, because she helped pave the way for women Coast Guard members than set precedent today. Today, on the Birthday of our United States Coast Guard I say THANK YOU for all you do. For my girlfriend Melanie, you are so brave and true, thank you for being my friend.

Jacquie

Loving Life And Our Flag!

July 25, 2014December 23, 2022 ~ Online Stores ~ 2 Comments

Our AMERICAN FLAG is so rich in history I thought I would give a little background on some basic facts. Every red-blooded American knows the premise that Congress first authorized the flag June 14, 1777 (maybe not the date; who remembers dates?) and that we would have a star and a stripe represent each state. This evolved over the years because adding the next stripe was too much. We kept the thirteen alternating stripes to the original colonies, but added a new star as each state entered the Union. Did you know that the colors of our flag have significance also?

Red, White and Blue: Red is Valor. White is for Purity. Blue is for Vigilance and Justice.

In May 2014, my boyfriend (Honey) and I bought 500 small stick American Flags for Memorial Day. We had an idea to give back to those that had served in our Military, but what to actually do? We called Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola, FL to see if we could place those on the graves, but the Boy Scout Troops in this area attend to the Cemetery. Next we called Veterans Memorial Park, also here in Pensacola, FL and they gave us permission to place the Flags around the park. Now Honey is a former Marine USMC (oorah) so he has very strong feelings to help and/or honor our Military. The Veterans Memorial Park, or as we call it here, “Wall South” (this is a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C.) not only has Vietnam War Memorial, but World War I, World War II, Korean War, Global War on Terror, and the Marine Aviation Memorials. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful memorial here in our city that is so historically based on a true love of our country!

You think 500 flags is a lot of flags until you start placing them – after about an hour and a half we found out 500 was not near enough. Without even finishing this year’s placement, we started to plan for next year, larger flags and significantly more! We just loved our flags we bought and we were so humbled to give the honor to those that have served past, present and future. A couple weeks later, we won a gift certificate for Priceless! from the United States Flag Store by submitting a photo of these flags. With our gift certificate, I ordered Honey the Garden UCMC Flag and the Decorative Garden Flag Holder for Father’s Day. The garden flag is just gorgeous and made so well, double sided stitching with vibrant colors! The holder has a nice “locking” arm that secures your flag in all types of weather.

Have fun always,

Jacquie

You Are Not Alone

June 19, 2014 ~ Online Stores ~ Leave a comment

June is PTSD Awareness Month.

My Disclaimer

I have noticed that a large portion of our US Flag Store community “likes” the posts on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and I wanted to dig a little deeper. It’s a sensitive, serious subject, and please correct me gently if I step on any toes. PTSD is a broad term used to describe any disorder triggered by severe trauma. While we use it on our website to refer to military personnel and vets who suffer because of it, it is a very real condition for many who have never been in battle. I cannot imagine the trauma suffered by those who have.

I started by going to the militarymentalhealth.org website and taking their quiz on PTSD. After filling out some basic information I was directed to four questions signifying the criteria for diagnosis:

Did you have nightmares about the event, or thought about it when you did not want to OR
Went out of your way to avoid situations and places that reminded you of the event OR
Were constantly on guard and easily startled OR
Felt detached from others and your surroundings

My first husband committed suicide. I have been abused, among other things I’d care not to share online. Additionally, in the last 8 months I have gone through a divorce (second husband), terminal cancer diagnosis for/subsequent care of/death of a parent, job change, city relocation, home purchase; I figured if any civilian was borderline suffering from something traumatic, it would be me. Not. I passed with flying colors. However, I immediately answered “yes” to all four questions answering for my boyfriend, whose teenage son was killed in an auto accident.

I already knew I can’t possibly fathom what he lives with, day in and day out. So here is the tender part: I am writing about something whose depths I do not understand. If you are reading this, please don’t misunderstand that I think I know what you are going through, that I could offer platitudes or begin to understand what you have seen and felt. You deserve more than that. I read over this article after it is finished and my words seem so trite. It was an exercise in educating myself. Please take my findings as simply that: a collection of resources that I found online, that may direct you to help if you or someone you love needs it.

You Are Not Alone!

Important thing to remember: You are not alone. This can’t be said enough. 7.7 million Americans aged 18 and over suffer from PTSD, also known as shell shock or combat stress. It can be brought on by a variety of events, regardless whether you were physically harmed or not. Common symptoms include nightmares, sleeplessness, depression, numbness, anger, irritability, inability to focus, and myriad other things that reduce your quality of life. Symptoms often do not manifest immediately, and may not be constant.

Factors that can contribute to an event leading to PTSD include intensity, physical pain, loss of loved one, proximity, lack of control, and lack of support after the event. That last one screams that it is imperative to get support as soon as possible, even if you feel fine at the time.

Many sufferers report handing the condition with drinking, suicidal thoughts, workaholism, and isolation. These things actually eventually exacerbate the issues.

Is there help?

There is. PTSD has been recognized as a viable condition and researchers from around the world have increased our understanding of it and how to treat it. Medication and counseling are the two most effective methods of treatment. Counseling can help you understand and cope with what you are feeling while medications can block feelings of excessive despair. You can make lifestyle changes to help you on the path to recovery also – communicating with loved ones about what places or situations make you uncomfortable; volunteering in your local community can offer you the support you need. Start by talking to someone if you notice you are having a tough time: your spouse, best friend, doctor, or religious advisor. Connect with others who have been there, who can help you know what to expect and what things worked for them, and who will offer to be there for you if you feel you have nowhere else to go. That is one place I know we all have been!

Explore some of these resources, many of them free – they are my resources for this writing:

Military Pathways

Vet Centers

Understanding PTSD Booklet

Understanding PTSD Treatment

PTSD Program Locator

And once again, whether you are Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines, we here at US Flag Store genuinely thank you for your service!

Flag Day

June 16, 2014June 16, 2014 ~ Online Stores ~ Leave a comment

Flag day this year brought us our fourth Show Us Yours! photo, from Darryl M. in Diamondhead, MS.

We love this montage that he sent us. Darryl shares that he loves to fly all the flags he orders from us, and says quality is the biggest factor when choosing! “I change them out twice a year to keep them in good condition.” This is great advice. “I also use your 20ft telescopic pole for my weather station,” he adds.

What about that weather station? “I have been a weather spotter since 1991. I report to two TV stations: one in New Orleans, LA; and the other in Biloxi, MS.” He said he looked around for a long time for something on which to put his weather station – then found our site and the 20ft telescopic pole. “It works perfect. I can lower it down when I have to do maintenance on it. It is a great price and high quality pole. You can see it on the pictures I sent to you. Feel free to visit my website anytime!”

We’re not ones to turn down an invitation, so we are passing along his link, where you can again see the beautiful triptych Darryl submitted: http://darrylmeltondiamondheadweather.com/

Darryl, please let us know what you end up getting with your credit. Thanks so much for sharing!

Priceless!

June 9, 2014December 23, 2022 ~ Online Stores ~ 1 Comment

US Flag Stores received their third entry (second official but that’s a story for another day) in our Priceless! campaign, requesting loyal customers to show us their products in exchange for a $25 credit and tons of appreciation. The rules are simple – a photo of any of our store’s products in use, emailed to elizabeth.stubna@onlinestores.comalong with your customer email or name, and the SKU/item number of the product – will get you fame and fortune. Ok, not much of either, but some of both.

Eddie (USMC) and Jacquie M. of Florida sent the photos you see here in this blog. They purchased 500 of our little American made flags for Memorial Day and placed them around Veteran’s Memorial Park in Pensacola, Florida to honor others.

When we notified Jacquie of the thank-you credit posted to her account, she replied, “I can’t wait until Eddie gets home. I kinda want to be selfish and get him the US Marine Corp flag, but I will wait ’til we decide together.” If thinking of picking out something for someone else is “selfish,” may we all be that selfish. Thank you to you both!

Beautiful couple, beautiful photos!

Yes, Made In America

June 2, 2014June 2, 2014 ~ Online Stores ~ Leave a comment

I don’t know about you, but reading about 260 “displaced” factory workers in a time when unemployment is supposedly improving, really makes me mad. These are local folks who work hard for a wage that requires a second income if they want their kids to go to college – or simply to survive, if they head single-parent homes. As a country, America is a consumer nation, importing more goods than we export. What we export are services and technology. All very good things. But what the nation was founded on – hard work and tradition – is getting lost in the new economy.

The reason the mill workers mentioned above are facing layoffs is because of the cheap import of steel. Their employer has been lobbying against inequity for awhile, to remain nominal in cost and continue employing its workers. But it’s just plain less expensive to import so many products. In a time when the mill was lobbying to reduce imports of steel so they could remain competitive, the imports increased exponentially. Now we see men and women who were looking forward to retiring in five years, needing to find new jobs. We see a stalwart of the American industry closing down yet another factory. We see young kids who know the value of hard work entering the field only to exit again.

It’s a tough economy. And yes, United States Flag Stores does import some of their products. You can clearly see on the item description pages, the Country of Origin. It’s there for every flag so you know exactly what you are buying when you place your order. We carry some imported flags for those of you who may prefer something about them – the price, the material, your homeland (because America is the great Melting Pot!). And every customer is important; every customer is why we are in business; every customer has his or her own story. But if you do a search of all of our products, and plug in “America” for Country of Origin on our US Flag search page, you will see over 550 United States flags made right here in America – more than all other countries combined. We have thousands of US-made International flags site-wide, again far more than any other country of origin. Because we love our country. And we know you do, too. Thank you to all our loyal customers who support this American company by buying American flags.

He Showed Us His!

May 30, 2014May 30, 2014 ~ Online Stores ~ 1 Comment

United States Flag Store, in conjunction with the other merchants of Onlinestores, Inc., is currently inviting owners of our products to send us photos of them in use or on display. For our loyal customers’ efforts, we are rewarding them with $25 in store credit, and displaying their photos across our social media.

Stephen N. of MA sent us this photo of the United States Flag Store flag in his front yard. “[Here’s]…my American Flag on the flag pole in my front yard. One of the things I like best about the home we purchased.” This quality Valley Forge flag is SKU #USA46SPVF . It is a sturdier flag designed for colder climates and has a 6-month warranty. Stephen purchased it two years ago and has been flying it ever since. A repeat customer that first ordered from us in 2008, Stephen also flies a US Marine Corp flag that he bought from us. “I proudly fly the American-Made flags I purchase from Online Stores.”

Thank you, Stephen!

Priceless!

May 19, 2014May 19, 2014 ~ Online Stores ~ Leave a comment

Clever picnic invites: $10
Bug spray: $5
3×5 Made-in-the-USA Flag from the United States Flag Store: $25.70
Having your photo on United States Flag Store’s website: Priceless!

Send us your photos of our products in use or on display. If we use your picture, we will send you a $25 thank-you gift to be used on any of our merchandise! email photos to elizabeth.stubna@onlinestores.com with the product’s website item number or SKU, and the name and address on your registered account, so we can be sure to get your prize to you!

Please note the following: you must be a registered user of united-states-flag.com to receive your non-transferrable credit code. (you can register here: https://www.united-states-flag.com/customer/account/create/) Limit one credit code per registered user of united-states-flag.com. Submitting photos indicates your agreement that the photos are your own, and everyone identifiable in them has given consent to have their likeness used by us for any purpose on any onlinestores.com website. Photos must be accompanied by the SKU or item number from united-states-flag.com.

We Mean It!

May 16, 2014May 16, 2014 ~ Online Stores ~ Leave a comment

One of the first things you will see when you visit the United States Flag Store’s online presence is a banner stating, “when we say it we mean it” and a graphic of a tag that reads, “Made in America.”

Since the 70’s, the United States has seen a shift in being the leading society of producers, to a society of doers and thinkers. While America has gravitated towards technology and research over manufacturing, China has stepped in to be the major producers and exporters of goods.

According to the Made In America movement, “the average American will spend about $700 on gifts this year. If only half this amount were spent on gifts Made in USA, up to a million American jobs would be created!” (http://www.themadeinamericamovement.com/) The reality is, because of our great country’s fair wages, quality standards, and safe workplaces, these products are not always the most economical. Add to this the fact that the FTC defines “Made in America” as only a product whose final assembly or processing takes place in the US, and the waters can get quite muddy. If you have talked to anyone who has an opinion on this debate, you know it can be as heated a topic as politics or religion.

As a manufacturer of quality flags of every kind, we try to provide the market what they want: choice of high quality premium American flags, as well as more cost-effective imported designs. Every flag we offer on our website clearly indicates “Country of Origin.” On the Specification Tab in the product information, you can easily see where the flag is made so you can be sure you are getting exactly what you want. Additionally, if you prefer your flag be made right here in the United States, we have an entire pull-down menu dedicated to US Made American Flags for your shopping convenience. If you are ever in doubt or need help, you can call our friendly customer service specialists at 1-877-734-2458.

Here at the United States Flag Store, when we say it we mean it.

Brand New Easter Flags

April 2, 2014April 2, 2014 ~ Online Stores ~ Leave a comment

It’s that time of year again…Easter! A time for joy, religious reflection, fluffy bunnies, and of course candy. This year, Easter falls on April 20th and we want to make sure that you’re prepared and have the best house warming decorations.

For a traditional, stylish, and cute Easter welcome, take a look at the Floating Easter Eggs flag. This flag displays beautiful, vivid colors that are sure to brighten up your home and make your entrance way unique. This flag features a ribbon-like banner that runs over the top reading “Happy Easter”. There are eggs of different sizes, colors, and patterns tied to ribbons that are dangling down the flag. This flag was printed in the USA and measures 28″ x 40″ and is listed at $18.15.

If you’re looking for a more religious Easter flag, we have those too! The new Easter Cross garden flag is smaller compared to the banner flag and measures at 12″ x 18″. This garden flag continues to have the stunning, vivid colors featuring a cross with lilies resting on it and inspirational Bible quotes remain in the background. This garden flag is listed at $9.09. That’s a great steal!

However, maybe you’re looking for something a little different? How about flowers and bunnies to celebrate that spring is finally here? Our brand new Tulip Bunnies welcome flag is sure to please. This flag features some plaid printed on the top border and polka dots on the bottom border. There are adorable bunnies that are popping out of tulips in the foreground in front of some flowers in the background. This flag is listed at $18.15 and measures 28″ x 40″. You can’t go wrong with this flag!

Check out the rest of our Easter flags: here.