Object ID
2000.4.1
Object Name
Flag
Object Collection
Material
Rayon
Object Entities
Hontos, George (owned by)
Hontos, Arthur (is related to)
Hontos, George (is related to)
Object Description
An American Flag with gold fringe. This flag is not as large or made of as nice material (it's synthetic not cotton) as 2000.4.5 (the flag that most likely was used in his funeral). This flag has some staining on the stripes and the white is no longer pure white.
Origin
The accession file identifies this flag as having belonged to George James Hontos as his ceremonial flag from the American Legion. The American Legion is a veterans association for aiding veterans and creating a community outside of the military. The Legion was created by veterans returning from WWI in 1919. Currently, the group has over three million members and 14,000 posts worldwide.

George James Hontos was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 27th, 1920. The son of James and Cornelia Hontos, brother of Dimitra, Arthur, and John, who also served in the United States Navy. Two weeks following the Pearl Harbor disaster, he was called to serve his country in the Army. He trained for six months at Camps Yulen and Wallace, Tex. On March 1, 1942, the 434th Coast Artillery Battalion (Anti-Aircraft) was activated. With this outfit, he was sent to England. After the completion of training, they took part in the liberation of Africa. George died from a landmine left by the Nazis, trying to aid some wounded women and children in Tunisia, on May 24th, 1943. Private George J. Hontos was posthumously awarded the Soldier's Medal and the Purple Heart.
Rights and Reproduction
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Citation
Flag, The George J. Hontos Collection, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/6769. Accessed 03/28/24.