On Wednesday, Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (CA) gifted Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, a folded, encased American flag during a photo-op.
The House Speaker posted the images to her Facebook page and notified the public that the flag she gifted Philonise was “the flag that flew over the Capitol on the day of his brother’s murder.”
“Philonise Floyd’s heart-wrenching testimony to the House Judiciary Committee left its mark on us all,” the high ranking Democrat captioned the photo, along with two others. “May this flag, which flew over the Capitol on the day of his brother’s murder, serve as a symbol of our shared commitment to securing justice for George and all victims of police violence.”
Philonise Floyd’s heart-wrenching testimony to the House Judiciary Committee left its mark on us all. May this flag,…
Posted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Folded American flags, known as burial flags, are often given to the families of our fallen United States Military members or first responders.
“A United States flag is provided, at no cost, to drape the casket or accompany the urn of a deceased Veteran who served honorably in the U. S. Armed Forces,” the government website for Veterans Affairs says. “It is furnished to honor the memory of a Veteran’s military service to his or her country.”
According to the VA, here are some examples of who is eligible for the burial flags:
1. Veteran who served during wartime
2. Veteran who died on active duty after May 27, 1941
3. Veteran who served after January 31, 1955
4. Peacetime Veteran who was discharged or released before June 27, 1950 after serving at least one enlistment, or for a disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty
5. Certain persons who served in the organized military forces of the Commonwealth of the Philippines while in service of the U.S. Armed Forces and who died on or after April 25, 1951
6. Certain former members of the Selected Reserves
“Generally, the flag is given to the next-of-kin, as a keepsake, after its use during the funeral service,” the site adds. “When there is no next-of-kin, VA will furnish the flag to a friend making request for it. For those VA national cemeteries with an Avenue of Flags, families of Veterans buried in these national cemeteries may donate the burial flags of their loved ones to be flown on patriotic holidays.”
George Floyd died last month after a police officer had his knee on the 46-year-old’s neck for over eight minutes during an arrest, according to viral video footage. The officer at the center of the arrest, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with second-degree murder.
Not everyone was pleased with the photo-op, specifically the gifting of the flag. Pelosi’s Facebook post was riddled with comments ripping the Democrat. Here are some examples:
“All Veterans should be angry with this action and she should be voted out of office. After serving as the Noncommissioned Officer In Charge of a six and three man burial teams and having to present the Flag to a family member of the deceased, this is a disgrace to all Military personal who have passed in the serve to their country. This man, as far as I know, did not [serve] in the Military…”
” Proving you have no idea what a service flag represents.”
“So wrong….trying to get votes.”
“Pelosi You are a horrible woman. You have now trivialized the meaning of the US Flag. That presentation is for members of the US armed forces and veterans. Not a political game of pandering.”
Currently, many elected Democrats publicly support national anthem protests and the “defunding” of police departments, though the definition of “defund” apparently varies.
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