101-year-old WWII veteran honored for flag display

Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) honored a 101-year-old Birch Bay resident for hanging a 48-star U.S. flag outside of his house every day that originally flew on his World War II ship.

John Finn, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, was presented with a framed SAR flag certificate during a small ceremony held outside of his Birch Bay Village house on June 28.

“I’m up here,” Finn said after the ceremony, signaling his hand above his head. “I haven’t come down yet. It’s a wonderful thing they’ve done for me and I appreciate it greatly.”

In 1942, at the age of 21, Finn was drafted while working at Ford Motor Company’s plant in the Detroit suburbs, which manufactured Sherman tanks. Finn looked after the flags while he was aboard the FS-268, an army freight supply ship stationed in the South Pacific, because the ship didn’t have a signalman. He kept the flag when the ship was given to the Philippine government, saving it in a paper box in his garage until he decided to resurrect it five years ago. 

Finn has hung a U.S. flag outside of his house every day, weather permitting, since the war. Finn said he’s flown so many U.S. flags throughout his life that he can’t count how many he’s owned.

“The flag is significant of the wonderful land we live in. It’s very precious to me,” Finn said. “I have a lot of respect for it.”

Jack Lauman, a Birch Bay resident and SAR member, nominated Finn for the flag award that SAR member Jack Foster presented to Finn.

“This certificate of commendation is presented to John Finn, Birch Bay, WA, in recognition of exemplary patriotism in the display of the flag of the United States of America,” is written on the framed certificate.

SAR is a national nonprofit organization with over 550 chapters across the U.S., including the Mount Vernon’s George Washington chapter that honored Finn. The organization, which aims to preserve U.S. history and promote patriotism, is made up of male descendants of patriots in the American Revolution, according to its website.

The 48-star flag became the official U.S. flag on July 4, 1912 when the stars for Arizona and New Mexico were added. The flag was updated to include Alaska in 1959 before becoming the current 50-star flag when Hawaii was added in 1960.

“I always had a flag around somewhere, since I’ve been in the service,” Finn said. “Everybody should be interested in the flag. It means so much.”