Persistence Solves Mystery Of WWI Funeral Flag
Published: 7 April 2023
via the Greeneville Sun newspaper (NC) web site
One afternoon in February, Rich Urban walked into the newsroom of The Greeneville Sun with a century-old mystery to share.
By late March, the mystery was solved, and on April 4, Urban’s persistence paid off with a trip to the home of Cynthia Cox in Knoxville.
Urban delivered a funeral flag for Cox’s ancestor, James “Henry” White, a local World War I soldier killed in action in France.
By late March, the mystery was solved, and on April 4, Urban’s persistence paid off with a trip to the home of Cynthia Cox in Knoxville.
Urban delivered a funeral flag for Cox’s ancestor, James “Henry” White, a local World War I soldier killed in action in France.
The visit was brief but provided a very special moment for Urban and Cox, who said she planned to display the flag with two other military funeral flags she has for her husband and her father.
Cox is the great-granddaughter of White’s sister, making him her great-great uncle.
So how did Urban get involved?
Urban is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and secretary of the American Legion Post 64 in Greeneville.
When he first visited The Sun, Urban explained that the 48-star American flag was brought to the local American Legion by a lady from a local church where it had been stored. The church had closed.
Urban desperately wanted to get the WWI artifact into the hands of White’s family members, so he began searching for descendants.
“I’d like to see it get back to family if it’s at all possible,” he said.
Read the entire article on the Greeneville Sun web site.
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