Defenders of the Flag
A mother holds her newborn babe,
her precious pride and joy.
A father's eyes swell up with tears
as he holds his little boy.
Through the years they teach their son
what the ten commandments say.
But then the thunder cloud of war
call the strong young man away.
As a kitten grows into a mountain lion,
the young man must transform.
He now must show an evil face
as the warrior within is born.
The winds of war - a battle cry,
the flames of hell burn wide.
The wings of prayer is all he has
as the warrior mounts his ride.
While governments squabble differences
warriors disappear each day.
Some are taken prisoners,
while others are M.I.A.
Some reach up from cold dark graves,
their loved ones bare the pain.
Some harbor memories with the mind
and slowly go insane.
Once classmates in their younger years
now Defenders of the Flag,
They pray the peace they fought hard for
shall not begin to sag.
But history tells a different tale
as new conflicts begin
Enjoy for now the peaceful times
'til the warrior rides again.
901 Defenders of the Flag
Artist: Bill Vernon
Year Created: 1999 - Edition 2
Retired: 02/01/2004
Quantity Produced: 359
503 Defenders of the Flag
Artist: Bill Vernon
Year Created: 1993 - Edition 1
Retired: 05/29/1998
Est. Quantity Produced: 1,500
About the Defenders of the Flag Sculpture:
A tribute to Veterans. The poem was affixed to the back of each Defenders sculpture. Originally created in 1993 then retired after the fire in 05/29/1998 using the stock number of 503. A second edition - Stock #901 - was produced with a few changes and marketed until closing of the factory in 2005.
NO SCULPTURES ARE FOR SALE ON THIS WEBSITE. ALL HAVE BEEN RETIRED. INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. SEARCH ONLINE TO FIND SOME FOR SALE
The Defenders of the Flag poem is available for FREE download or print directly with two different background versions. One background features a silhouette of the Defender’s sculpture while the other has a flag background. Scroll down the page to view each version.
These are both suitable for framing in an 8” x 10” frame. You may need to adjust the settings on your printer app to the desired size when printing. Below is a step-by-step guide to do this using Windows on a PC. (If you use a Mac, it may be different.)
- Click on the Download button and allow it to open up in a new tab.
- Right click on the image and select “Save As”.
- Move your cursor to the top right corner of the page to Open File in the Downloads popup just under the browser ribbon. Or you can open your Downloads file and find it there.
- Once you open the image file, click on the small Printer icon in the top left corner (Or select the "Print" option if you are using a different program to open the file).
- Make sure your printer is set to “Full Color".
- Set Orientation to “Portrait”.
- Change Paper Size to 8” x 10”.
- Change Photo Size to 8 x 10in.
- Click on More Settings.
- Set output Quality to "High Quality".
- Set Color Mode to "Color".
- Click the “OK” button then the “Print” button.
Here is a step-by-step guide to download or print the poem using a cellular phone.
- Click the Download button.
- The poem will appear as a PNG image on your phone's screen with an arrow inside of a box at the bottom of the screen.
- Click on that arrow.
- Scroll down to the menu options and select either "Print" or "Save Image".
- If you chose to save the image, it should appear in your Photos. If you chose to print the image, you would then need to adjust the printer settings similar to the instructions above depending on the printer you are connected to and the device you are using.
