Army Chaplain Charles “Harry” Washburn wanted a United States flag to display over a cemetery in Hamlein, Germany on the first Memorial Day following the surrender in Europe in 1945. However, there were no regimental sized flags readily available. So, Washburn commissioned a group of nuns to create an American flag. The flag was constructed from habits for the field of blue, muslin sheets for the stars and (against the nuns’ wishes) red fabric from a Nazi banner. In exchange for their services, Chaplain Washburn paid the nuns 20 pounds of sugar and 50 pounds of white flour for their efforts.

Army Chaplain Charles “Harry” Washburn wanted a United States flag to display over a cemetery in Hamlein, Germany on the first Memorial Day following the surrender in Europe in 1945. However, there were no regimental sized flags readily available. So, Washburn commissioned a group of nuns to create an American flag. The flag was constructed from habits for the field of blue, muslin sheets for the stars and (against the nuns’ wishes) red fabric from a Nazi banner. In exchange for their services, Chaplain Washburn paid the nuns 20 pounds of sugar and 50 pounds of white flour for their efforts.