Ashcroft Receives Annin Flag of Honor for NJ Reagan Day

Assemblyman Jay Webber (R-26th) presented the Annin Flag of Honor to former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft in honor of New Jersey Reagan Day, an annual celebration of the life and leadership of former President Ronald Reagan.

Ashcroft was the keynote speaker at the annual celebration, founded by Webber and sponsored by the Young American Foundation. Nearly 600 people attended the ceremony.

“It is my privilege to represent the township of Verona in the New Jersey Legislature,” said Webber. “One of Verona’s crown jewels is Annin flag makers, America’s oldest and largest flag maker.”

As part of the ceremony, Webber highlighted some of the great moments in the history of Annin flags — including the flag which draped the coffin of President Abraham Lincoln on its journey from Washington D.C. to Springfield, Illinois, the flag placed atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima in 1945 and the Annin flag planted on the moon by the crew of Apollo 11 in 1969.

Webber praised Ashcroft for his work in leading the nation through 9/11 and the battle against terror in the years that followed.

“This flag is created from the collection of all the names of those who perished in the terrorist attacks of 9/11,” said Webber as he presented the flag to Ashcroft. “Now and forever it represents their immortality. We shall never forget them, as so many of the people in this room lost family, friends, and neighbors on that dark day.”

Annin & Co., located at 163 Bloomfield Ave in Verona, is a specialty flag manufacturer that has provided flags for the world for nearly 100 years. An Annin spokesperson recently announced the company would close its Verona factory on June 28.