)yyLd AMERICA’S GiL.GRY 5s WhatDoes “Buy American” Really Mean? (NAPSA)—Ournation’s commerce frequently has a patriotic bent, with consumers looking for the “Made in USA”label andbusinesses looking to “buy American,” perhaps even making it a requirement on their purchases. What many people don’t realize is that, in order to bear the “Made in USA” label, all or virtually all of the product has to be made in the U.S. The Veterans Affairs (VA) Office requires that interment flags—the flags that are draped over veterans’ coffins, and presented to surviving family members or friends—be 100 percent American-made. This means that every VA flag must be made from American-made materials and constructed in the U.S. Several years ago, the contract to make interment flags for the VA Office was awarded to Allied Materials & Equipment Company, Inc. Over the course of that contract, the company, a leader in manufacturing for more than 50 years, produced 172,000 of the 5’ x 91’flags. Seeing the quality, beauty and durability of the materials and coupled with the fact that it is all 100 percent made in the U.S., Allied began to develop a line of products using the same materials. The high-quality fabric is used to manufacture aprons and bags with a patriotic theme. The tales of Old Glory don’t stop there. Once Allied got the The patriotic products of one company are truly made in the USA. hang of making Americanflags, it began applying for contracts to make flags for different government agencies. Ultimately, the company won a contract to make 3’ x 5’ and 4’ x 6’ flags for the House of Representatives. These are flown above Congress for a few minutes and then either given to constituents by the Reps or sold to tourists. The high-quality flags have embroidered star fields, and are 100 percent American-made. If buying products made here in Americais important to you, it’s a good idea to know exactly what you’re buying—and how much of it is really made in the USA. To learn more about the manufacturing process, or to order American flags or other patriotic products mentioned in thisarticle, visit www.alliedflag.com.
