American Legion dedicates vintage flag to neighboring church

COEUR d’ALENE — Jacques Croom Sr., chaplain of American Legion Post 14, has a southern accent as thick as the wood which frames a vintage, 48-star American flag prominently displayed inside Mountain Lakes Bible Church.

Croom Sr., an 82-year-old veteran, was given that flag as a young boy living in Fayetteville, N.C. After United Service Organization clubs terminated operations in 1947 and began tearing down their facilities due to the end of World War II, he wanted to take home a memento.

“I went across the street and asked if I could have their flag, and they said ‘Absolutely,’” said Croom Sr., who moved to North Idaho from Washington, D.C., four years ago. “I’ve been hauling it around over 60 years, and I finally found a home for it.”

Croom Sr., a member of an American Legion post which shares the same building as Mountain Lakes Bible, dedicated the flag to the church, which was presented at Sunday’s Veterans Day-themed service.

To preserve it for even more generations, the church gave the flag a nice wooden and glass case built by a member of the Idaho National Guard, thanks to donations from North Idaho Rustic Furniture and Coeur d’Alene Glass. In a worship hall with a congregation of about 150 dotted with veterans, the newly displayed flag was centrally hung.

Fitting decor for a church that doubles as an American Legion locale with a credo of “God and country.”

Mountain Lakes Bible pastor Dave Bruyette felt humbled when his church was presented with the flag.

“I wanted to put that in a place of honor, so we can talk to our kids about the history of our county and the legacy that is left behind from our servicemen and women,” Bruyette said. “It just brings the whole thing together. We’re excited to have it here. Hopefully it will be a legacy for generations to come.”

The church also displayed veterans posters and a memorial table Sunday that will stay up for the next year. During the service, a slideshow was played of a recent mission trip to Kendrick, Idaho, that showed members of the church building a new deck for a World War II veteran.

Croom Sr., who says he was the only tank driver in the U.S. Army to have a law degree, was happy to give back to Mountain Lakes Bible Church. Coming from a 900-member American Legion group in Washington, D.C., where he said everyone “just wanted to drink and gamble,” he appreciated a smaller group literally connected to the church.

“For God and country,” Croom Sr. said. “(The flag) is the perfect fit here because God and country go together.”