Bradner Legion Post to Unfurl Stained Glass American Flag
November 7, 1999

PIX#1 Artistic Patriotism Eldon "Chesty" Allen of Bradner, an Army veteran from the Korean War, and his wife, Pat, stand next to the 5-foot by 6-foot stained glass American flag Eldon created. The flag is held in a 50-piece wooden cabinet, with each piece of wood coming from a different state. The flag, which is also lit from the back, will be unveiled to the public on Veterans Day this Thursday at the Bradner American Legion Post at 6:30 p.m. (Photo by L. Skonecki)

The American flag. It means different things to different people -- liberty, the nation, democratic self-government.

On veterans Day, Bradner's Albert Bowe American Legion Post 338 will unveil a one-of-a-kind flag, a leaded stained glass flag and each one of the flag's 1,036 pieces has a specific meaning.

The 5-foot by 6-foot, 85-pound flag, mounted in a wooden cabinet with back lighting, is the creation of Eldon "Chesty" Allen, an Army veteran of the Korean War.

The cabinet features 12 cutouts of the Liberty Bell, six on each side, one for each month.

"What we're saying there is that we should respect our liberty every day of out lives, all year long," said Eldon.

"The Liberty Bell is second to the flag as a symbol of freedom. There are exactly 50 pieces of wood in the cabinet, one from the state tree of each state."

A plaque atop of the cabinet reads, "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," the inscription on the actual Liberty Bell.

The bottom panel of the cabinet shows the profile of the lower 48 states in the center with Alaska on the left and Hawaii on the right.

The flag rests on a field. In each corner, a piece of white glass with black lettering represents World War I, Would War II, Korea and Vietnam, America's major wars in this century.

A cross above the flag symbolizes "one nation under God."

The field above the flag contains 42 pieces of glass, one for each president, blue for Democrats and red for Republicans.

Four reddish-blue pieces signify the Democratic-Republicans and four burgundy represent the Whigs. A lone white piece stands for George Washington who belonged to no political party.

Below the flag, 100 purple pieces and 435 grey pieces represent the 100 senators and 435 representatives of the federal legislative branch.

Nine pieces of black glass across the field below the flag represent the nine justices of the Supreme Court, the highest court of the judiciary.

To the right of the flag is a green ball representing the earth. Within the ball are five stars representing the branches of the American military.

"It means that men and women come from each state in the nation to serve in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard to serve and protect our flag in all four corners of the earth," said Eldon.

The ball contains 21 pieces of glass for the 21-gun salute.

Left of the flag is the POW/MIA symbol bordered by 21 red droplets, also for the 21-gun salute.

Twenty-six pieces of green grass along the very bottom represent the letters of the alphabet.

"We wanted to say something about the Constitution," said Eldon. "That's for freedom of speech, the First Amendment to our Constitution."

The centerpiece is the flag itself, cut so it appears to be waving, proud and free, in a breeze, an effect more pronounced because Eldon used water glass, smooth on the back, slightly dimpled in the front.

Eldon is a retired union millwright and his craftsman's skill is evident in this flag. He needed that skill.

For instance working with 50 types of wood is a tough job. South Carolina's Palmetto tree is a very soft wood while Georgia's Live Oak is "like flint."

The dimpling of the glass made soldering a good, even bead of lead a tricky chore. Fifteen pounds of solder holds the flag together.

Turning the completed flag over to attach reinforcing supports made for a nervous moment. A large, specially made clamp filled the bill.

"Mind you, you have 1,036 pieces of glass of no structural value whatsoever. We could have very easily swept it up in the dustpan," said Eldon.

It avoided the dustpan and has a permanent home at Post 338. The end result is a beautiful, precisely made replica of our nation's most prominent symbol.

Work on the flag began in August 1998. It was completed after 1,500-1,800 man hours of work.

Eldon had help -- Larry Evans, Harry Teeple, Deb Hummel (who contacted many governors' offices for wood from the state trees), Judy Hagman plus many other folks as well, including his wife, Pat.

"She gave me a lot of encouragement whenever I needed it," said Eldon.

"A lot of times he's be out there until two thirty in the morning working," said Pat. "I think it helped him a lot to make it.

"I'm kind of a patriotic guy," said Eldon. "Our biggest motivation was to teach children and adults alike respect for the flag. Marching in parades, I see people who won't stand up. That was really the biggest inspiration."

Post 338 is serious about the flag's educational value and plan to extend an invitation to area school children to view it.

"We would be honored. We would be delighted to have schools come see the flag," said Eldon. "I would love to see this become a classroom."

Post 338 also hopes to prepare an instructional video about the sacrifices Americans have made in times of war, flag etiquette and the Principles of American government.

The Bradner Legion Post's flag is a symbolically elaborate, artistically lovely piece of work. It represents the meaning the flag holds for Eldon Allen.

Veterans Day is always a good opportunity to consider the flag, its meaning for us, its message of freedom and self-government and the sacrifices that have been required to keep it flying.

(The first public lighting of the flag will take place at the Bradner American Legion on Veterans Day, November 11. Events begin at 6:30 p.m.)