Local Elks Lodge honors Old Glory

KAUKAUNA, Wis. (WFRV) - Flag Day is a time to honor one of nation's oldest symbols. A fitting setting for a Flag Day ceremony Thursday evening, was outside of Kaukauna High School.

"Because Flag Day actually started in front of a school in Wisconsin," explained Jerry Brien,  so it's appropriate to have a ceremony in front of a school."

The Kaukauna Elks Lodge has been hosting the ceremony for more than a century. Members call it a time to explain the history of old glory, and honor those who've fought for all it stands for.

"The flag stands for our veterans, it stands for the freedoms we have in our country," Brien said. "We need to keep passing that on to each generation so they appreciate all the things they take for granted."

This year, the Elks also wanted to pay special thanks to a couple who go above and beyond to bring patriotism to the city's streets. Cindy Huss, along with her husband Tony, are responsible for the red, white and blue seen on the bridges every holiday.

"We get them up by 6:30 a.m. and we try to get them down as late as we can so that they're down before dark," Cindy said. "But we want to leave them up long enough."

Cindy said her husband started putting out the flags 35 years ago.

"He tried out for the Coast Guard when he was younger and he had a medical discharge so he never really could serve," explained Cindy. "He always felt bad about that and this is kind of a way to say thank you for everything that they do. Both of us actually, we just appreciate so much everything the veterans do."

She calls the award an unnecessary, but appreciated honor.

 "we do it because we love doing it," she added.

It's also a tradition for the Elks to give out a Medal of Valor at the Flag Day ceremony to the families of servicemen and women from the area killed in the line of duty. But members said, thankfully, they didn't have to give one out this year.