The headquarters of Annin Flags Corporation is located in Roeseland, New Jersey, United States. Annin Flags is not only the oldest and most renowned manufacturer of the American flag but the company also has the prestige of being the biggest producer on the planet in terms of the sheer number of flags made. This is a measure of the patriotism in the American population.
The history of the American flag dates back to the May of 1776 – 44 years before Annin Flags and Co. was founded – when it was said to be designed by a colleague of George Washington who goes by the name of Betsy Ross. Washington approached Betsy’s fabrics and furnishing shop where they showed her the initial design. The first draft was presented and it had six sided pointed star or hexagram look. Betsy on the other hand showed the easiness in making a five sided star which could be cut with a single stroke of the scissors, and it was her recommendation which they accepted.
Annin Flags came into the picture in 1820’s when the company was founded by Benjamin and Edward Annin, as they were the pioneers of Annin Flags & Co. After 27 years of making signal flags for various sailing boats and ships. The company made inroads in the fag making business in 1847 when they first started manufacturing the American flag. It was only a 70 odd years after the Declaration of independence, which gives an idea of how long this corporation has spent in perfecting its quality and service standards. The sheer volume of flags manufactured by Annin Flags is more than 20k, in terms of all sorts of flags and their accessories.
Annin Flags has been through the woods alongside the great country, and has seen prosperous days along with the dismal ones.
- At the inauguration of an American president it is one of the Annin Flags that is flown. And it is the same flag that you buy from their stores. The tradition started with the inauguration of America’s 12th President and has continued to this day with the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
- The flag that covered the coffin of the 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln was also one of the Annin Flags.
- History was made at the Apollo 11’s space mission in 1969. The flag mounted on the surface of the moon was made by none other than Annin Flags & Company.
Annin is not an isolated company, but a member of the FMAA or Flag Manufacturers Association of America. The association thrives in manufacturing flags that are not just American in appliance but also American in manufacturing and origin. All of the labor, the wood and the fabric are from our homeland. So, Annin Flags is currently the trend setter in all things American flags, and brings an international standard team of American artisans equipped with quality machinery to their disposal.
A special flag was designed in order to pay tribute of the American armed forces who had either been missing in action (MIA) or who became prisoners of war POW. This first POW flag was manufactured by Annin Flags and is a symbol of their valor and pays homage to their sacrifice. The flag itself was created act the time of the Vietnam War by what’s called the National League of Families, as they showed their concerns for our military personnel. The design of the flag was officially recognized by the American Congress unanimously.
The flag was a sign of assurance that the whole nation in collaboration with the United States government was trying their hardest to bring as many troops back to the homeland as the can. There were thousands of American soldiers and medical personnel trapped in Asian jails following the Vietnam War. William Graham Wilkin the third was the one who gave the first draft of this black and white flag. The wife of the Prisoners of War coordinator Evelyn Grubb has a great contribution in the promotion of the flag and its acceptance at both the government level and the people of the United States. The POW flag, in addition to the American flag is manufactured by Annin Flags and Co. Her campaign was backed by the veterans, in addition to the men and women of law enforcement throughout the country, as the whole nation was trying to heal itself from the great depression.
There are a few unwritten rules concerning how the POW/ MIA and the conventional American flags should be placed side by side:
- In case both the United States flag and the POW flag are displayed from the same flagpole, the POW flag should be under the United States flag.
- The size of the POW flag, as kept by the Annin Flags Co. has should not be larger than the United States flag.
- In case the United States and the POW flag are at separate poles, the United States flag has to be on the right of the POW flag. Being at the rightmost position would mean that it would look as if it is the leftmost from a viewer standing directly in front of it.
- In the Congress, the POW flag is flown at 6 different occasions. Whenever it is displayed in the congress, there are certain guidelines followed such as flowing it adjacent or below the official flag of the United States of America.
The POW flag – as manufactured by Annin Flags, according to American League of Families’ recommendation – is generally black and white, but in the time of Harley Davidson’s golden jubilee, the pattern was modified and the modification was a black and orange one. It was part of the biker’s movement as this helped them promote their agenda to the people. Other versions include the white and red combinations and the red and black ones too.
Annin Flags recognize that The POW flag was not some ambitious scheme by the National League of Families at the time of the Vietnam War. It has its influence in the armed forces and the Law enforcement agencies to this day. The POW flag can be seen outside fire stations and veterans’ organizations to this day. Its influence has even made its way in the private sector as it can be seen outside many businesses.
The flag depicts a brother, a father or a son who has paid for our freedom, at the price of theirs. It has to be remembered that even though Annin Flags and other renounced flag manufacturing companies make the POW flag, but its design is not subject to copyright, and anyone with artistic talent can make their own POW flag, and make theirs unique.