Stupid Guest Tricks

Sort of a relief, there. I was worried for the poor guy.

If the Park was so concerned about being sued for singling out a particular veteran, then what about the selection of the family for The Dream Suite? Thinnest excuse I've read in a long time.

I also read thru this entire thread. I'm quite surprised and a little upset by the stance taken. Especially on Main Street, the Americana Incarnate. What is more American?!

Knott's is pretty Patriotic, I can't recall if I've ever seen them do a flag retreat, but they play "God Bless America" at park closing and there has been tweaks here and there to the park that made it more Patriotic (For an entire month they even let military personnel in for free! Or at least they used to). It's a little upsetting that in a way (in my opinion at least) it's like they're turning their backs on a tradition that has been done since park opening. The world is too PC and worried about lawsuits.. But I digress.

I've enjoyed the flag retreat. I participated in ROTC when I was in highschool, my family consists of military..I mean I'm not I guess "passionate" about the whole military, but I am gracious for what they do. I respect them as well. And the flag retreat is a GREAT way to honor and respect the people of the Military.

But like I said I'm a bit taken back by the decisions that apparently were made regarding this entire event.

WWWD wrote:Sort of a relief, there. I was worried for the poor guy.

If the Park was so concerned about being sued for singling out a particular veteran, then what about the selection of the family for The Dream Suite? Thinnest excuse I've read in a long time.

Very thin. They started to do the same style of FR at the Magic Kingdom, except Vets can hold the flag. When this is brought up, "We do different things at different parks." Oh yeah? If that is the case, then I expect one park is going to start ripping out key attractions...

Freak wrote:I also read thru this entire thread. I'm quite surprised and a little upset by the stance taken. Especially on Main Street, the Americana Incarnate. What is more American?!

I've enjoyed the flag retreat. I participated in ROTC when I was in highschool, my family consists of military..I mean I'm not I guess "passionate" about the whole military, but I am gracious for what they do. I respect them as well. And the flag retreat is a GREAT way to honor and respect the people of the Military.

But like I said I'm a bit taken back by the decisions that apparently were made regarding this entire event.

Basically, it is entertainment wanting to make this a "show" rather than a ceremony. "Oh, we see people cry." Yeah, well I had a tear in my eye the first time my daughter "got" the characters and ran up to give Minnie a hug. So, by that standard, no more character meet and greets. What parent hasn't shed a tear when their kid meets their favorite character and the excitement they have just hits you. Heck, I had to hold back from crying like a baby when Mickey and Minnie rode with my daughters a couple of trips ago to WDW and Mickey motioned he wanted a picture with his own camera!

Yeah, so there is something else that Disney should be sued for. My child was chosen and yours was not...

Ernie is fighting the good fight, but he does need our continued support. I finally got to meet him, and folks, he is the real deal. He loves his job and he loves his fellow Veterans!

WWWD wrote:What was the final outcome? The FB page looks like it's been taken over by the Park.

There has been no final decision. I believe fb Disneyland Flag Retreat reflects the issue. Ernie still needs all help we can give him. Support is Essential! Ernie has been honoring a very few veterans at Flag Retreat because of his passion, but he walks on the edge with each Flag Retreat. Entertainment Dept.

To answer Freak's questions about Knott's, yes Knott's still lets military personel active and retired in for free for a couple of weeks in November. After Thanksgiving, Fire and Police can get in for free. We also still play "God Bless America" at closing time.
Thanks for the update Main Streeter on Ernie and Flag Retreat. I haven't been able to go since last June to DL, but I am glad Flag Retreat still goes on. It really irks me that this is an issue at all.

Only slightly off topic, my Boy Scout Troop retired three-dozen flags that were no longer fit for display. The Scouts stood in the rain as each flag was saluted one last time, cut to pieces and then burnt.

I was pretty proud of them for sticking it out in the rain.

One time, when I worked at Knott's, at Calico Railroad, I had to take the flag in front of the depot down and fold it with a fellow conductor. One time when I did this, a lady came up and insisted on taking a picture--she was so thrilled to see the flag properly handled and folded at the end of the day. I loved it when I got that kind of feed back from a guest, but unfortunately those were too few. I quit before I lost my mind.