Few Americans are likely to remember Jan. 28, 1986 in quite the same way as United States Air Force Maj. William Tolbert and the 17 Boy Scouts of Troop 514.
On that day, Tolbert, a Scoutmaster, and his young charges watched on television from Monument, Colo., as the space shuttle Challenger exploded, sending seven American astronauts - and Troop 514's American flag - into immortality.While all of America was devastated by the deaths of the astronauts, who included the nation's first teacher in space, Christa McAuliffe, the tragedy was additionally poignant for Tolbert and his Scouts. After months of trying, Troop 514 had finally succeeded in getting its flag included as part of the flight kit for a NASA mission.
It was probably more than coincidence that the flight Troop 514's flag became part of was Mission 51-L, the fateful Challenger trip. And, for Tolbert and the Scouts, it couldn't have been just luck that made their flag the only survivor of the shuttle explosion.
The experiences of Troop 514's flag, which once flew over the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., are chronicled in "Threads of Honor" (Shadow Mountain-Deseret Book Co., 80 pages, $6.95 paperback), which hit bookstores this month.
"I believe there is a reason the flag survived," author Gordon Ryan said in an interview. "It will always remind us of those astronauts."
Ryan, a West Jordan city administrator, has known Tolbert for 30 years. Ryan served 11 years in the Air Force, where he cultivated respect for the American flag and what it stands for.
"The flag has always been important to me," Ryan said. "The flag has come to represent America the place, but at a deeper level, it represents America's principles."
"Threads of Honor," which Ryan completed in three weeks, is easy but compelling reading, the kind of book most would devour in just one sitting. It's a touching story about how a flag that wouldn't die left a legacy of courage and perseverance for 17 Boy Scouts, a scoutmaster and a nation.
"Threads of Honor" not only tells the story of the flag; it also relates how a distinguished military officer with a long list of accomplishments reached his greatest achievement with a group of Boy Scouts.
"I felt the cartilage in my back stretching, and it struck me that I had never stood so tall - that after 20 years in a military uniform, the proudest moment of my life had come while wearing a scoutmaster's uniform, standing beside that flag," Tolbert wrote.
But the strength of "Threads of Honor" comes from the voice of patriotism - spoken by the flag itself. Ryan's personification of the Challenger flag gives the book feeling, meaning and a powerful perspective.
From its beginnings at the Valley Forge Flag Co. in Spring City, Penn., to its stint above the U.S. Capitol and its stay with a Scout troop in Colorado and, finally, to its ride on the Challenger, the flag was true to the honor within its threads.
In the book, Ryan, Tolbert and the flag issue a challenge to all Americans to serve with honor and become part of the threads of greatness that make up the fabric of this country.
- IN CONNECTION with the release of Ryan's book, Troop 514's flag will be making appearances at three major events of America's Freedom Festival at Provo this week. For those interested in touching a piece of history, this may be the last chance because Troop 514's flag will likely be inducted into a museum later this year.
Gordon Ryan will sign copies of "Threads of Honor" on Friday, July 5, noon to 2 p.m., at the Deseret Book in the ZCMI Center, and at the Deseret Book in the Ogden City Mall from 6-8 p.m. On Saturday, July 6, he will be at the Fort Union store (noon to 2 p.m.), the University Mall in Orem (3:30-5:30 p.m.) and Barnes & Noble in Orem (6-8 p.m.) Call 328-8899 for details.