‘Woodbine flag’ gets its initial hearing before Maryland legislators

By CARYL VELISEK
AFP Correspondent
and BRUCE HOTCHKISS
Senior Editor

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — It has become known as the “Woodbine flag,” and today, on Feb. 14, a bill, which would allow it to fly again, will get its first hearing in the Maryland General Assembly.
Standing in the wings, so to speak, eager to testify in favor of the measure, House Bill 132, is Rhonda Patrick Winkler, a 43-year-old Howard County farm woman, mother of three and, now, unwittingly, a patriot of some fame.
The hearing, set for 1 p.m., could get more than the usual attention. Feb 14 is also Maryland Farm Bureau Day in the state capital and MFB members are expected to swell the audience.
Winkler, the daughter of a noted Howard County 4-H dairy family and the leader of a junior dairy club and its leasing program in Howard County, has championed a cause involving the disputed display of an American flag and her patriotism and declared love of America has captured national attention.
Rhonda and her husband, Jeff, own and farm at Steel Fire Farm, in the Lisbon-Woodbine area.
The farm is aptly named. Rhonda is a volunteer fire fighter and Jeff also operates a family welding business.
The Winklers raise corn, soybeans, 4-H beef and dairy cattle, pigs, goats, horses and mules. Rhonda, as her maiden and now middle name attests, was raised on the Patrick family’s Maple Dell Dairy Farm in the Lisbon-Woodbine area of Howard County.
Here is how the flag story started:
“Three years ago we put a flag on a pole in the traffic circle (or roundabout, at the intersection of Rt. 94 and Old Frederick Road) when our nephew, Chris Lawson, who had been in Afghanistan, was due to return. We did it as a welcoming gesture,” Rhonda said.
“It remained there until recently, when someone hit the pole, knocking it down.”
The circumstances of that incident remain in doubt.
There were no skid marks or other indications that the pole had been accidentally hit by a car, Rhonda said.
Husband Jeff — remember, he is a certified welder — made a new pole and installed it, and put up another American flag.
Three weeks later, someone told them they had seen a State Highway Administration crew take the flag down.
Jeff called the SHA, and he said that he was told he could be arrested for trespassing and he was also informed there had been a lot of complaints lodged about the flag being there.
Curious about the alleged complaints, Rhonda investigated.
She said she could only confirm one complaint, by a landscape crew
Jeff said he was told the landscaping crew took care of the circles and they were going to “throw the flag away.”
The removal of the flag appalled and aroused, not only the Winkler s, but the community at large, Rhonda said.
As a display of their concern. the community held a rally two days before Christmas.
It brought out about 80 people to the small western Howard County community.
“We voiced our concern and saluted the flag and said the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag together. It showed the community is definitely behind this,” Rhonda said.
She made this declaration: “We put up the flag originally, at no expense to taxpayers, to respect the United States of America and pay tribute to our soldiers. We never expected to start a controversy but we’re at a point (in this society) where you can’t say this and you can’t do that, but the American flag is one thing we are going to stand up for .”
The controversy has continued.
Claims and counter claims have been made by SHA. It’s is a safety issue, the SHA says. No permit was issued.
No permit?
The Winklers investigated. Rhonda said she found — no surprise here — there is no such thing as a permit for flying an American flag in a traffic circle.
Two Howard County delegates, Warren Miller and Gail Bates, introduced HB 132, requiring SHA to “establish a permit program and safety guidelines allowing individuals and organizations to display a United States flag on state-owned circular islands at the center of a traffic roundabout; authorizing the administration to charge a permit fee to offset specified costs; and requiring the administration to adopt specified regulations.”
“I can’t go anywhere in our communities without people saying, ‘Keep it up! Good job! We’re behind you!’” Rhonda said.
“When this started, I had no idea the attention it would bring. It seemed such a simple issue. Even the national news has picked it up. Apparently this is an important issue with many Americans.”
She said soldiers from all across the country have been e-mailing her and sending her Facebook messages with notes of appreciation.
Mothers have been thanking her for setting a good example for their children.
A retired Air Force officer in Oklahoma sent her a three-page letter in the mail, telling her to “keep up the fight”.
Recently, Rhonda said, she made the following post online:
“I just had a good cry! I opened my mailbox and there was a large box. I opened the box and found an American flag with this certificate.
“Since it is hard to read,” she told her e-mail audience. ‘I will tell you what it says. ‘The flag of the United States of America. (That was all in capital letters on the box.)At the request of United States Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the accompanying flag was flown over the United States Capitol in honor of Rhonda Patrick Winkler for being ... a patriot and fighting for the ‘Woodbine Flag.’”
“I can’t tell you what this means to me, I am still crying. I am so proud to be an American. — God Bless America!”
In response, Rhonda said, SHA has made statements to the effect that the story has been overblown and stating that SHA representatives have family members who are veterans and current employees deployed and that they love the American flag and that they have it in all of their offices.
They have also said they are eager to work with the Woodbine community to find a solution, Rhonda added.