By admin 
GLENDALE, AZ — For seven years, a single American flag traveled thousands of miles across the country on a unique mission: to fly over every single state capitol in the United States.
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The “Great American Flag Tour” was the brainchild of Glendale Mayor Jerry Weiers.
As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Weiers wanted to capture the same spirit of patriotism he felt during the country’s Bicentennial.
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“I remember I think I was 16 years old for the Bicentennial, and I remember what such a big deal that was,” Weiers said. “You couldn’t go anywhere without red, white, and blue. Everybody had flags displayed.”
Turning his vision into reality required persistence. Weiers personally called state capitols across the country to ask for permission to fly the Stars and Stripes. Initially, he was met with some confusion.
“We started off originally with them going, ‘You want to do what? We have American flags. We’ll just send you one,'” Weiers recalled. “No, no, I need my flag.”
Eventually, the doors opened. From California to Maine, and Texas to Alaska, Old Glory crisscrossed the country. Along the way, Weiers experienced the diverse beauty of the nation’s capitals and the people who work in them.
“I got to see how other states’ legislatures were, how their capitols were, and that was pretty special,” Weiers said. “But I got to meet some incredible people. It’s some fascinating stories.”
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One of the most memorable stops on the tour wasn’t a state capital at all, but the White House. The visit came with strict instructions from the Secret Service regarding the flag Weiers was carrying.
“When they told me, ‘Do not give this flag to the President under any circumstance,’ I’m thinking, ‘I want to get tackled here. They’re going to arrest me and haul me out,'” Weiers joked. “I said, ‘Sir, I can’t give you the flag.’ He goes, ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Well, number one is because they told me not to. And then number two is I just want to get a picture with this flag.'”
The President ultimately sent Mayor Weiers a letter of recognition for his nationwide tour.
The flag’s final stop brought the journey full circle to the “Great State 48,” flying over the Arizona State Capitol. For Weiers, the seven-year mission proved that even in divided times, the red, white, and blue remains a powerful symbol of freedom.
“This is something bigger than politics,” Weiers said. “It’s about patriotism, unity, and remembering who we are as Americans.”
As the U.S. prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, Weiers hopes the flag’s journey leaves a lasting impact on the next generation.
“It means an awful lot to me,” Weiers said. “I want the young kids to understand what our forefathers did, what they fought for, how people lost everything, people lost their lives, they lost their properties, the gamble they took, and just what they call a great American experience, you know, the experiment.”
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