MISSION VIEJO, Calif. — Stars and stripes hold a lot of meaning and memories for Carlia Oldfather, a retired United States Army sergeant.
“The flag to me is a reflection of my country. It’s a reflection of our strength, our fidelity, our fallen soldiers and the ones that made it back home but still need the support that a lot of times we don’t give them,” said Oldfather.
RELATED | Battleship IOWA Veterans Return to Ship Every 4 Years
Oldfather was born and raised in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the U.S. While growing up in Puerto Rico, Oldfather says she felt disconnected from the country, but her father who was a United States Army veteran, who shared his stories of serving with such passion, inspired her to enlist into the Army.
“When I put my uniform on for the first time and I looked at the flag for the first time after I had my uniform on, I felt a sense of belonging to something so much bigger than myself,” said Oldfather. Naturally when Oldfather finished her time in the military and became a civilian again, she began to miss that "bigger" than herself feeling.
She recalls being honored by the Mission Viejo mayor and city council during a meeting for being the "Veteran of the Year" and being approached by a few members of the Mission Viejo - Saddleback Valley Elks Lodge #2444 who invited her to join their civic organization.
“It doesn’t matter if they know you or not. If you’re an Elk, you’re part of their family. That’s what I felt in the military. You put on the uniform and immediately you’re brothers and sisters in arms. Nobody could change that,” said Oldfather.
On Tuesday, November 5, Oldfather and her fellow Elks held the lodge’s first flag retirement ceremony in their history just days before Veterans Day. For months, the Elks and Boy Scout Troop 603 of the Orange County BSA Saddleback District collected old, worn, and tattered flags from the community. There’s a United States Flag Code that requires flags to be properly collected and cremated with the same respect someone would have for a loved one who passed away.
The ceremony began in the lodge with a full service. After it was done, the flags were collected along with the thousands of other flags that were turned in from other lodges in Orange County before it was taken to a facility where the flags were properly burned away from public view.
Oldfather says she doesn’t feel disconnected to the United States anymore. Her service to her country and now the community has strengthened her commitment to being the best American she can be.