How these flagmakers are leaving their mark on a Philadelphia tradition
At the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, a unique Philadelphia tradition lives on. Before the city celebrates the U.S. Navy's 250th birthday on Monday, we went behind the scenes to see how hundreds of flags are made each year.
The piercing sound of stitches through fabric breaks through the silence.
"This must be one of our best-kept secrets tucked away in Northeast Philadelphia," Adam Walstrum, supervisor for the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, said.
Concentration is on full display inside the DLA Troop Support flag room.
"We realize that we're part of the national story," Walstrum said, "and we get to leave our mark on that every day working here."
You're looking at the Betsy Rosses of the 21st century.
"We do a sew-through method," Samanta Soifer said, "so I'm stitching the front and the back of the flag at the same time."
A team of 13 artists is responsible for making both hand-embroidered and machine-sewn flags every year. And no, 13 is not for 13 colonies. It's just a coincidence.
"We estimate upwards of a million stitches will go into this piece by the time it's done," Walstrum said.
It's a tradition that was started by the real Betsy Ross centuries ago, and it's one that's never left the City of Brotherly Love.
From presidential to military flags, there is a three- to four-year waitlist.
Using the machine, the team manufactures upwards of 400 flags per year. Hand embroidered, that number is a lot smaller, at 10 to 15.
Yes, that's the Space Force flag, which officially debuted in 2020.
"This is the first one that we ever brought off of the computer screen and into real life," Walstrum said.
Another one that was made went to the International Space Station.
"We can't change colors or designs or anything like that, that's all set by the Institute of Heraldry," Soifer said, "but within that, you can create your own stitch identity, so that's how we know when someone's flag is their flag."
That means each artist here can easily pick their work out of a lineup.
Soifer, though, has yet to see her flag after it left the room.
"I look forward to the day that I actually get to see a flag, one of my flags in the wild," Soifer said. "That would be really great."
The tradition is uniquely Philly, and one the team says isn't going anywhere else.