I have had my Dad's burial flag for some time now and was thinking of making a flag case for it. I am not looking for the usual triangle shape ones. Would like to make something different that has the Navy theme to it. Would be interested if anyone would share some ideas and maybe a photo or two. I have looked through Pintrest but could not find anything that stood out. Thanks in advance.
Made one few years back for a woman. It was rectangle, with a split background of blue on top and yellow on bottom with the flag sitting on the bottom but centered in the box. Underneath in a small clove I arranged his medals and service pins.
Sorry no pictures. I don't keep pictures of things I made for other people.
If you do not want triangle; Make a square or rectangle. Push the folded flag into a corner, and use rest for memorabilia. One popular design looks like house outline, with triangle folded flag as roof over box of medals. Have also copied a large shadow box design I saw online, putting the triangle with flag in bottom-middle of large rectangular table top.
The shape is because a properly folded flag is triangular showing parts of six white stars on the blue field with no red showing at all.
I've seen square boxes with diagonal dividers with the flag on one side and medals, etc in the other, but the portion dedicated to the flag is still a triangle.
Flags are usually around 17" on the short side and 24" on the long. Most will compress to 2-1/2" or 3" thick depending on flag material. These are interior dims.
There are three basic bottom styles, 22-1/2°, 45°, and flat.
22-1/2° - bottom corners mitered @ 22-1/2°, top at 45°. Difficult to cut.
45° - all pieces miter at 45°, bottom fits inside sides. Easy to cut, all pieces mitered @ 45° both ends
Flat - sides both ends mitered at 45°, base is flat and extends beyond sides and front. Sometimes the base is used as the top of a drawer opening or another rectangular display area.
If there is a glass engraver locally you can have them etch the service branch logo, name, rank, dates, etc. Then use Rub-n-Buff to backfill the engraving with gold paste.
Sometimes if a funeral volley was fired the empty shell casings are returned and provision could be made for their display as well as any medals awarded, etc.
Other construction decisions include:
back, removable or fixed?
front, fixed or hinged?
glass or lexan?
glass permanently framed or replaceable?
My favorite wood for a flag box is purpleheart! Or old hickory.
45° box is standing without fasteners in the 2nd pic.
I am trying to get all his service records and things but the site was shut down due to the Covid. They would only do service people who died from the virus. So waiting till they open it again. I have some paperwork and some medals but do not have the whole story. My Dad never wanted to talk about WWII things. I need to get this done before I pass so it can live on. I put it off long enough. I will continue to do some searching of sites. Thanks.
Just go to some Etsy listing and scroll down to see "similar items" or "people also purchased " etc and click there and repeat, thats how I find cool stuff sometimes
JT - my father was also pretty quiet about his service in WWII.
while doing some basic research on the net, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that
some of the "AAR" (After Action Report) documents were declassified every 10-20 years after the war.
I was able to find some guys that were actually stationed in his unit and talked with them personally on the phone.
a couple of them wrote books, of which I found copies on the net.
I was able to piece together my fathers entire WWII adventures from other sources.
also Letters of Commendation and 4 medals that he never saw. (he passed away in 1982)
but - I could never have put on paper his personal emotions and sights he had seen. (which may be a good thing).
so while you are waiting on the government to open up, you can still find information on the internet with the basic searches about his unit, where they went, how they got there and what they did.
if you need help, let me know.
John
JT - my father was also pretty quiet about his service in WWII.
while doing some basic research on the net, I was very pleasantly surprised to find out that
some of the "AAR" (After Action Report) documents were declassified every 10-20 years after the war.
I was able to find some guys that were actually stationed in his unit and talked with them personally on the phone.
a couple of them wrote books, of which I found copies on the net.
I was able to piece together my fathers entire WWII adventures from other sources.
also Letters of Commendation and 4 medals that he never saw. (he passed away in 1982)
but - I could never have put on paper his personal emotions and sights he had seen. (which may be a good thing).
so while you are waiting on the government to open up, you can still find information on the internet with the basic searches about his unit, where they went, how they got there and what they did.
if you need help, let me know.
John
Generally if you want a combat vet to talk about combat (NOT stories of tearing up towns while on pass) you need to get them VERY drunk. My old FIL was a WWII vet that would tell raucous stories about being drunk on calvados while on pass. But if you asked him about the action he'd seen, a shadow would come over him and he would, very quietly, say "I don't wanna talk about that." and that would be the end of it.
Most combat vets shouldn't (can't) watch "Saving Private Ryan" alone.
If someone in a bar is bragging about all the "action" he's seen as a "Seal" or "green beret" they're full of it and should be taken out back and have the feces beat out of them for "stolen valor".
True story many years ago I was dating a gal that was born in Frankfort Germany. She married a GI there came here got divorced. TYPICAL… She told me that she always goes back for Oktoberfestwhere she would see her dad who was still with the living. She told me she wanted me to go this next time with her. She told me how old he was and after some rudimentary math I figured out her dad would have been old enough to serve in WW2. She told me yes he served in the Wehrmacht towards the end of the war!!!!!!!!!
OMG! ME being a huge Military History buff thought what a rare treat to meet and talk to a real Germany solider that served during WW 2. GAWD I had so many questions to ask that weren't censored via American journalistic BS….
My GF told me he never talks about those days and please dont ask him anything about that. I thought THAT SUCKS. A GIFT of history lands right in my lap and I can ask any question or hear any stories. I tried may times to sweet talk her to give me permission to ask him questions. She stood her ground and told me if I did I could find my own what home from Germany.
Long story short She gave me the LOOK the entire time I was talking to her dad…. So knowing I was not going to get any where with her or her dad. I got up, walked around got a Sausage, came back and as I passed her dad from behind I gave a loud WHISTLING SHRILL sound like a bomb might make coming down.
It took me days to arrange a flight back and I will miss her
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