Photos by Lorene Tierney
Elks Lodge Festooned with American Flags.
(L to r): Steve Rusie; Presentation of Colors by Orange County Sheriff’s Explorer Post #449; Jim Humphrey; Gloria LeCouvre; Dennis Lumley.
(L to r): Flag Folding by Dennis Lumley and Bill Bongartz observed by Gloria LeCouvre and Jim Humphrey.
Taps by Ray Mallen.
Mission Viejo / Saddleback Valley Elks Lodge No. 2444 (“Elks Lodge”) held its annual Flag Day ceremony. Steve Rusie, Elks Lodge Chaplin and event Chairperson, welcomed members and guests to the ceremony and gave the opening prayer.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Explorer Post #449 performed the presentation of the American and California flags. The opening prayer by Steve was followed by the poem, “I am the Flag of the United States of America”, rendered by Past Exalted Ruler (“PER”) Jim Humphrey. Norm Jones, Past District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler and PER explained the Elks Flag Day tradition and Gloria LeCouvre, Exalted Ruler, read the history of Flag Day. The Elks organization actively promoted Flag Day as a national holiday, which it eventually became when signed into law by Harry S. Truman, himself an Elk member.
Event attendees sang “God Bless America” and “The Star Spangled Banner”. An American flag folding was performed by veterans Dennis Lumley and Bill Bongartz. The Flag Day program was concluded with a closing prayer and the playing of taps by Elk member, Ray Mallen.
The Mission Viejo / Saddleback Elks Lodge No. 2444, celebrating forty-one (41) years of service to the Saddleback Valley communities, is one of ten lodges in the Orange Coast District of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE) whose headquarters is in Chicago, Illinois. The BPOE is a charitable organization with a 143 year history of giving, “Elks Care, Elks Share.”
