Union Jack honors Brits held hostage by Iranians

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The flag will remain in place until the hostages are released.

By LAURE CIOFFI

VINDICATOR PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU

HERMITAGE, Pa. — It is one of the most visible ongoing signs of patriotism marking the 444 days Americans were held captive in Iran nearly 30 years ago.

Now, amid the 444 American flags erected at Hillcrest Memorial Park on East State Street sits a solitary British Union Jack flag.

Hillcrest park president Tom Flynn said he wanted to show solidarity to the British people as 15 of their service members, seven Marines and eight sailors, are being held captive by the Iranians.

"We've all lived through this before and now the British people have to live through it. I don't think anything has changed over there over the years," Flynn said.

A procession down the long drive past the 444 flags to the memorial site was led by a solitary bagpiper and three men from the Hickory Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6166 honor guard.

Daniel and Carol McLaughlin, who lost their son Michael McLaughlin in Iraq in January 2005, carried the British flag to the site where it replaced one of the American flags. The American flag was then given to the McLaughlins, who live in Tionesta. Their son lived in Mercer.

Daniel McLaughlin said he felt honored that they were chosen to receive the American flag.

"It's very nice to see that Tom would remember the British people too," he said.

Sandra Morgan, honorary consul for the United Kingdom in the state of Ohio, was there on behalf of the British government.

Keeping track of the days

Below the Union Jack is a running tally of days the British soldiers are being held hostage. Today will mark their 12th day of captivity.

Flynn said he wanted to mark this current Iranian hostage crisis.

The last one, which began Nov. 4, 1979, outraged the Mercer County man.

But the idea for the flags came well into the hostage crisis. He wanted to illustrate to his young sons, then ages 11 and 9, the number of days the Americans were held hostage. It eventually became a flag and a pole erected for each day of the hostage crisis.

The hostages were released Jan . 20, 1981, and six of them made it to Hermitage that following Valentine's Day for a massive parade.

The entire effort, from the flags to the poles, was done completely through donations, he said. The flags now stand as a perpetual reminder of the hostage crisis.

And since that time, Flynn has erected a memorial listing the names of soldiers killed since the mid-1970s through terrorism or combat. He said it is updated weekly with the names of all casualties in Iraq.

Flynn said the British flag will remain up until the sailors are released. Visitors are welcome to the site.

cioffi@vindy.com

Tuesday, April 3, 2007