You might assume that every flag is made in America. Not quite. And that's at the heart of the story.
At North Bay Industries in Rohnert Park, they have an American flag painted into the doorway. CEO Robert Hut proudly notes that they make 350 flags a day, five days a week. If you ever wondered where all those American flags for the Veterans Administration come from, this is the place.
The VA requires the flags to be 100 percent American made, beginning with the cotton. But 15 years ago, Hut learned that not all flags are created equal; that those the Department of Defense used to cover caskets of Americans killed in action often used imported cotton.
"The least we can do is give them a 100 percent domestic grown, spun, and processed flag for their service," Hut said.
Hut felt so strongly that last year, he told Congressman Mike Thompson. As a result, he passed legislation making American sourcing a requirement for the Department of Defense as well.
