For Commissioner Chestnut – Per Your Request At Meeting With Mr. HK Edgerton



From: Lunelle Siegel (mailto:siegels1@mindspring.com)

Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2017
To: Latoya T. Gainey
Cc: HK Edgerton
Subject: For Commissioner Chestnut – Per your request at meeting with Mr. HK Edgerton

Good day, Commissioner,

Mr. HK Edgerton asked me to see if I could find information related to the efforts by the United Daughters of the Confederacy “UDC” to protect the Confederate Battle Flag aka “Southern Cross” by those seeking to foment hate by its misuse.

I contacted the archivist for UDC headquarters and she provided the attached excerpts from our General Organization’s minutes books from years including the time of the Korean War (Jun 25, 1950 – Jul 27, 1953). Many do not know this, but there was great controversy about US Forces serving not under our beloved Stars and Stripes but under the flag of the United Nations. I had heard rumors about this use of the Flag, and have, seen pictures (one below), but I found this information quite interesting.

As you can see, if you take time to review these reports in the official business records of the UDC, despite the efforts of the UDC, very few states decided protect the use of the Southern Cross. This is sorely regretted by many of us, for it has, is, and will continue to be misused, in a hurtful and divisive way – not in the somber way it should be revered when blood has been shed under and for it.

Florida does have a protection law, but I have not personally seen it enforced, but it is available for use by State prosecutors.

F.S. 256.051 Improper use or mutilation of state or Confederate flag or emblem prohibited.—
(2) It shall also be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to mutilate, deface, defile, or contemptuously abuse the flag or emblem of Florida or the flag or emblem of the Confederate States by any act whatever.

Of course, Constitutionally protected freedom of speech, protects anyone from doing anything they want with the Stars and Stripes, as we have sadly seen more of recently.

Give that, it would be an unusual prosecutor to waste resources attempting to protect a Confederate flag from misuse.

Sadly, those of us who honor it for its purpose to protect Southern soldiers from friendly fire (because of the resemblance of the “Stars and Bars” (the first National flag of the Confederate States of America) wish it were different, but it is not the case. The flag will continue to be mis-used.

I hope this information answers the question you posed to your satisfaction. And, I renew my offer to assist you with your genealogical research.

Kindest regards,

Lunelle McCallister
813-727-3920

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From: “Latoya T. Gainey” (lgainey@alachuacounty.us)
Date: May 18, 2017
Subject: RE: For Commissioner Chestnut – Per your request at meeting with Mr. HK Edgerton
To: “Lunelle Siegel” (siegels1@mindspring.com)
Cc: “HK Edgerton” (hk.edgerton@gmail.com)

Thank you for your email.

I will make sure he receives it.

Latoya Gainey
Commission Services
Executive Coordinator
lgainey@alachuacounty.us
352-264-6920

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This colorized picture is of a pup tent of SFC (Sergeant first class) Eugene L. Bursi, of Memphis, Tenn., an artilleryman with the 136th Field Artillery Battalion U.S. Eighth Army, in Korea on April 27, 1951. Note no US flags to be seen.