My Name Is Old Glory: A Celebration of the Star-Spangled Banner Hardcover - 2012

From the rear cover

A deeply moving and beautifully illustrated tribute to a beloved poem and the bicentennial of The Star-Spangled Banner Our flag's journey has been long. It has seen our nation through war and peace, triumph and tragedy. It flew above the walls of Fort Sumter, South Carolina, at the outset of the Civil War. It stood on Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II. During the Civil Rights Movement, determined protesters on the streets of Selma, Alabama, proudly displayed its colors. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Old Glory flew over the southwestern wall of the Pentagon and the rubble of the World Trade Center. The Stars and Stripes tells our nation's story and embodies its highest ideals. Its display reminds us of America's promise and guides us toward a brighter tomorrow.--President Barack Obama, June 14, 2009 Some of my earliest recollections are of my grandfather raising the national ensign outside his home at 0800 every morning. He was a World War I veteran, member of the local VFW, retired blue-collar worker from the 'rust belt' region of the country. On occasion I became his color guard, marching alongside him from the side door to the flag pole. He taught me how to attach and raise the ensign, salute, and respect our country's flag. When he died I was still too small to help carry his casket; instead I marched in front of the procession, once again his color guard. Old Glory ties me and my family to the long line of patriotic citizens that served our country in war and peace. --Capt. Matt Gimple, Commanding Officer, USCGC Hamilton (WHEC-715), Ohio This flag, which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation . . . silent, it speaks to us--speaks to us of the past, or the men and women who went before us, and of the records they wrote upon it.--President Woodrow Wilson, June 14, 1917

From the jacket flap

For decades, the poignant lines of a poem called "My Name Is Old Glory" have been read at military retirements and patriotic ceremonies, touching the hearts of many honored veterans and their families. Composed by an unsung marine named Howard Schnauber who served in both World War II and the Korean War, the poem is not only an expression of Schnauber's personal feelings about "The Star-Spangled Banner" but also a means of teaching others to appreciate and respect our nation's flag. In this book, Schnauber's simple but powerful words blend with timeless images--from a civil rights march to the Moon landing, from Iwo Jima to September 11, 2001--that capture the glory embodied in our national treasure. Interlaced throughout with fascinating historical anecdotes and personal reflections about what Old Glory means to Americans of all ages, this is the quintessential tribute to two hundred years of the red, white, and blue.