Towering above the small Pacific Island was a 556 foot extinct volcano called Mount Suribachi.  Two days of  savage combat was required before United States Marines pushed the enemy back from the shelter of its vantage point.   On the morning of February 22nd Colonel Chandler W. Johnson assigned 2d Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier the task of taking a 40-man patrol to climb the volcano and secure the summit.  Before the patrol left Colonel Johnson handed Schrier a small flag and said, "put this up".  As the marines of the patrol reached the top of Mount Suribachi they found a 20-foot piece of pipe.  They lashed the small flag to the pipe and the rest became history.  Two hours later a second group of Marines replaced Colonel Johnson's flag with a larger, more visible one and as it was raised to fly freely in the breeze the most historic photograph of World War II was taken.

A person might wonder, "What is it about a flag that would cause men to risk so much for a colorful piece of cloth?"  But the value of the flag is not found in the fabric of its make-up.  The value of the flag is found in what it represents.  Think of it this way:

Just like that lottery ticket is more than "just a piece of paper", our flag is more than just a colorful piece of cloth.  The red, white and blue STARS AND STRIPES that inspired the Marines at Iwo Jima in 1945 represented something of immense value...Freedom.   It found value in the sacrifices of almost 7,000 Marines who died at Iwo Jima.  In fact, since the birth of our Nation, more than ONE MILLION Americans have died defending the freedom our Flag represents.

This simple game has its basis in history.  For centuries the nature of warfare centered around capturing the flag of the enemy.  It didn't matter how many soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured in a battle.  Victory only came when the flag was captured.  Likewise, the only way to avoid being defeated was to protect your own flag.  During the Civil War, more than a third of the 1520 Medals of Honor awarded went to soldiers for either capturing the enemy's flag, or for saving the Union flag.   That is because capturing the enemy's flag was just like capturing an entire enemy unit, and saving your own flag was like saving your entire unit.  At the beginning of this page you read a quote about the flag that was made by Major General Arthur MacArthur.   Arthur MacArthur (yes, he was the father of World War II General Douglas MacArthur) was awarded the Medal of Honor for saving the flag during the Civil War.