There was no car to meet Herb Levy when he arrived in Newburgh at the end of World War II. So the Navy veteran picked up his duffel bag and walked home — bringing with him a foreign rifle, a javelin, trinkets from the orient, and the flag that had flown on the USS Charles Carroll.
The ship had seen action in the Mediterranean and the Pacific. It had been part of the D Day invasion on June 6, 1944. No one ever asked Herb Levy how he obtained the flag. But the heirloom stayed with the family for seven decades before coming to American Legion Post 1796 in New Windsor, and receiving an official welcome on March 18, 2017.
Outside of the war years, Mr. Levy lived his entire life in Newburgh. When he passed away, he left the flag to his oldest son Mike. And when Mike’s health started to fail, his brothers reminded him of the flag in the basement. “You can’t just throw it away,” they told him. “It has to be disposed of properly and respectfully.”
Following their advice, he went to the drop box at the American Legion Hall, where he left the flag with a note explaining its service and asking that it be retired with dignity.
Unserviceable flags are normally burned in a ceremonial fire. But in this case, the post didn’t follow Mr. Levy’s instructions. They had the flag dry cleaned. And then they engaged the younger generation.
Students in the construction program at Newburgh Free Academy built a frame, using wood that had been milled from a New Windsor oak tree. Then students in the welding program created brackets so a portion of the flag could be mounted. Only 12 of the 48 stars and 4 of the 13 stripes are showing.
On March 18, the legion unveiled the flag in front of a large audience in the dining hall, which included Mr. Levy’s sons, nephews and their families. As post members removed the cloth, the others stood at attention and saluted as they listened to Whitney Houston’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Jim Levy spoke of his father’s patriotism and later shared a personal observation on the day’s activities. “I didn’t see this coming” he admitted.
NOTE: The USS Charles Carroll was named for the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. Charles Carroll died in 1832 at the age of 95.
