"On behalf of the President, the Armed Forces of the United States and a Grateful Nation, I present you this Flag, a symbol of our Great Republic, for which our Departed Comrade has honorably served." --- words spoken by the Captain of the Color Guard, on two occasions, to the late Mrs. Florence Neilson.
These two American flags, folded crisply into the traditional military tricorne by two separate Rifle Squads at Fort Snelling, honor the memory of a father and his son. They are lovingly kept at our house, a treasured record of two lives risked in service to others.
We fly Old Glory on Memorial Day to salute our nation and those who served it -- but we especially remember Leonard O. and James John Neilson.
