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The Story of a 48-Star World War II Flag

Honoring the Greatest Generation in a special way

*Sandy and Matt Andrews holding the flag with one of our Tour Directors*
*(Photo: Sandy and Matt Andrews)*

Sandy and Matt Andrews, father and son from Hagerstown, Maryland, attended one of our recent Band of Brothers Tours. Both have a deep interest in American history and wanted to visit and gain a deeper understanding of the historic World War II locations they had read about over the years. The trip was particularly meaningful to them because Sandy’s father was a WWII veteran, which has always given him a deeper appreciation for the Greatest Generation and what they experienced during the war. The trip was made even more interesting because of the story of the WWII flag they took on the tour.

The story of the 48-star flag began after they had made a number of Civil War flags, which they used to honor the men who fought in the war and as part of presentations they gave about flags from the Civil War era. The first U.S. Federal (Union) style flag they made was a reproduction of the 2nd Wisconsin flag, representing the one carried at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. After completing that flag, they wanted to explore flags from other periods of American history, so they decided to create one representing the World War II era. Around February 2021, they began work on the WWII flag to honor Sandy’s father and Matt’s grandfather, both of whom served in the U.S. Army Air Forces in the South Pacific Theater from 1942 to 1945. As they began putting the flag together, however, they decided it should honor not only them, but all veterans who served during World War II.

*Sandy's father during his service in the Pacific*
*(Photo: Sandy and Matt Andrews)*

The flag is made entirely of cotton and was cut and sewn together by hand. From start to finish, the flag took approximately three months to complete. Originally, they planned to fly the flag only on specific World War II anniversaries and certain national holidays, weather permitting. However, on June 5, 2021, its mission changed. They took the flag to a World War II weekend at the Reading, Pennsylvania, airport. There, they met a number of World War II veterans and asked whether they would sign the flag on its sleeve. Since then, they collected approximately 39 signatures on the flag.

*Sandy and Matt at the USS Arizona Memorial*
*(Photo: Sandy and Matt Andrews)*

The flag bears signatures from veterans representing many different theaters of operation and historic events, including Pearl Harbor survivors, D-Day veterans, veterans of the Battle of the Bulge, a B-17 pilot from the 8th Air Force, and a woman who was a Rosie the Riveter (She was 102 years old when she signed the flag). It has also been signed by a sailor who was just 17 years old when he was first deployed aboard the USS Nautilus during the Battle of Midway, as well as veterans who served on Okinawa and Iwo Jima. Several of the veterans who signed the flag were more than 100 years old, including two who were 105 at the time they signed it.

*Sandy and Matt with the group on Omaha Beach*
*(Photo: Author’s own)*

After collecting these signatures, they decided that the flag should honor as many veterans as possible in another special way. In addition to having veterans sign it, they began incorporating small mementos from historic sites and battlefields connected to the war. One of the first items sewn into the flag was one of Sandy’s father’s dog tags. Other items incorporated into the flag include small pieces of grass, stone, flowers, dirt, sand, and similar mementos.

*The flag with Sandy's father's dog tag and the first signatures from veterans*
*(Photo: Sandy and Matt Andrews)*

The flag has traveled to Pearl Harbor and other historic locations on the island of Oahu. It has also accompanied Matt and Sandy on a Band of Brothers tour through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany. They hope to continue adding mementos from other historically significant locations. What began as a project to honor their own family has grown into something much larger: a living tribute to the men and women who served during World War II and a way of preserving their stories, sacrifices, and memories for future generations.

You can walk in the footsteps of Sandy and Matt and honor the Greatest Generation on our Pearl Harbor Anniversary Tour or Band of Brothers Tours.

*Sandy and Matt with the group in Bastogne, Belgium*
*(Photo: Author’s own)*

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