Alley-White American Legion Auxiliary Unit 52 announces its 4th Annual Freedoms Field patriotic flag display and scholarship fundraiser, which is open to anyone who might wish to thank a Veteran of the US Armed Forces for his or her service to our country. In return for their support, donors will receive a new American flag to display with pride, and the satisfaction of helping two lucky local students begin their college careers.

Freedoms Field donors purchase a flag in honor of an American Veteran (from any era) for $25. Each flag (3'x5', made in USA) comes with a color-coded ribbon streamer: red-white-&-blue for a living Veteran, yellow for a service member on active duty, and black for a deceased Veteran (or POW/MIA). A laminated tag with the Veteran’s name and name of the person/family that purchased the flag in his/her honor will also be provided, along with a personalized certificate honoring the Veteran’s service.

The flags will be set up in grid formation in the field next to the American Legion Post on Sunday, October 30, and will remain on display through Veterans Day (Friday, November 11).

Donors who would like to honor more than one Veteran, but only wish to purchase one flag, may order extra tag & ribbon sets at a cost of $5 each. (In the inset photo above, the donor had four grandchildren all serving in Iraq, so he ordered one full flag/tag/ribbon set and three extra tag sets.)

Advance sales are now under way; please use this order form. Mail orders will be accepted until Wednesday, October 26, 2011.

The display will open to the public on October 30, following a 2:30 pm ceremony by Post/Unit 52. Donors are encouraged to attend, as their certificates, tags and ribbons will be presented at that time. Flags will be taken down on Saturday, November 12, and must be picked up that day, unless arrangements have been made ahead of time for shipping ($5 extra per shipping address).

All proceeds after expenses will be divided between the Auxiliary & Legion to fund scholarships for local high school students who wish to continue their education at the college level. Since the project’s inception in 2008, six Freedoms Field scholarships totaling $4300 have been awarded.

2011 Freedoms Field Scholarship Winners Amelia Jaeger (Post 52) & Mason Jones (Unit 52),
both graduates of Mountain Home High School