Harford County Honors and Remembers Fallen Heroes

From Harford County government:

Honoring and remembering those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country are things that Americans should take time to do every day, rather than just on certain days of the year. Harford County Executive David R. Craig is recognizing and supporting an organization whose mission it is to create an enduring symbol that commemorates those who have died in service to their country.

During a special presentation that took place on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 in the office of County Executive Craig, the non-profit organization Honor and Remember honored two of Harford County’s fallen heroes, Cpl Gary Edward Canapp, who was killed in Vietnam in 1968, and PO2 David Roddy, who was killed in Iraq in 2006. The families of both servicemen received special commemorative flags designed to honor service members killed wearing the uniform.

The designer of the flag, George A. Lutz of Virginia, was inspired to create the Honor and Remember flag after his son George Anthony Lutz, II was killed by a sniper’s bullet in Fallujah, Iraq in 2005. “When I looked for a symbol that would properly commemorate him and those who have fallen, I looked for a symbol and found our nation’s flag,” stated Mr. Lutz. “It was flown at every building that I could see, and it was flown with pride and with so much symbolism within it.”

Mr. Lutz has embarked on a national tour, traveling to forty-nine states and ending at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day, November 11, 2010. The purpose of the tour is to promote the adoption of the Honor and Remember flag at each state legislature, as has already been done in Virginia.

County Executive Craig has ordered the Honor and Remember Flag to be flown at the two main county office buildings in Bel Air. He will also present each of the three municipalities in the county with a flag, and will encourage them to fly it outside their offices in honor and remembrance of the brave men and women who made the supreme sacrifice for their country.

To learn more about Honor and Remember, please visit www.honorandremember.org. There you can sign a petition in support of the flag, purchase your own flag, and follow the tour across America.