Flag dedication honors Auxiliary, principles of service

Guest speaker Rep. Leo Berman with (left to right) Terri Mathis, Judy Vences, Becky Mathis and Charlie Dew.

The skies were blue but the mood was sunny as a faithful contingent turned out Sunday for the flag dedication at the Troup Municipal Library.

The American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 418, donated the flag and marker and garnered praise for the group's commitment to community and country.

"The Auxiliary in Troup has become a very active part of the community," said Mayor John Whitsell. "I want to say thank you for that."

Whitsell then read from a proclamation honoring the Auxiliary and designating Feb. 2, 2008 as American Auxiliary Day in Troup.

The American Legion Auxiliary was founded in 1919 and is the largest service organization in the world, said Becky Mathis, president of Unit 418. After welcoming guests to the dedication, which included a pledge to the new flag and the national anthem, Mathis gave a brief overview of the Auxiliary and its emphasis on veterans, young people and community.

"No organization has a right to exist in a community without giving something in return to the community," Mathis said. With that in mind, the Auxiliary developed and completed their project to install a flag at the library -- a public facility and symbol of the community, as well as the local polling place.

A Girl Scout troop attending the dedication poses in front of the flag while the scout leader tries a creative camera angle.

"Every time I come to Troup you're honoring God or honoring country," said guest speaker Rep. Leo Berman, who also praised the community for its attention to its veterans and its emphasis on education. "There's no better combination. This celebrates what Troup loves best -- veterans and education."

Mathis thanked all those in attendance for coming and also acknowledged American Legion members Larry Mims and John Battle who made the 30' flag pole.

Those in attendance Sunday included a Girl Scout troop, school board president Joe Paul McElroy, city council member Barbara Barton and city administrator Russ Obar, who gave an impromptu speech based on the news about Berkeley, Calif., banning Marines from the city.

A marker at the base of the flag pole notes the donation of the flag on Feb. 2.

"One of the things I'm most proud of is to live and work in the City of Troup ... and that I don't work for the City of Berkeley," he said, criticizing a new generation that would "willingly give up what we've fought and died for."

Auxiliary president Becky Mathis joins American Legion members Larry Mims and Patsy Carroll at Sunday's flag dedication. Mims helped with the construction of the flag pole. Attendees of the flag dedication recite the Pledge of Allegiance.