Walla Walla vexillologist entertains passersby with flag displays and ‘a little whimsy’

Vexillology, vex· il· lol· o· gy, noun: The scientific study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags; encompassing any interest in flags in general.

No matter what it’s called, a flag still flies its colors, from the ancient Roman military vexillum to the nautical burgee.

Walla Wallan David Womack is among the legions of avid vexillologists, who, by any standard, are enthusiastic flag wavers. Consider Womack’s staff in his front yard at 310 S. Division St.; Throughout the year, he runs up one of the more than 50 flags in his ever-burgeoning collection.

Pick an occasion and he may have a flag to represent it, such as the Republic of Ireland’s green, white and orange streamer for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.

On April 4, recognizing its 76th anniversary, he hoisted the navy blue NATO flag, charged with a white compass rose emblem and four white lines radiating from the four cardinal directions.

On April 25 he’ll likely fly the Australian flag for ANZAC Day in remembrance of Australians, New Zealanders and Tongans who served and died in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. The national flag features a red and white Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter on a navy blue field with several stars.

When the U.S. Marine Corps flag with its eagle, globe and anchor emblem on a red field goes up on Nov. 10 it will honor the branch’s 250th anniversary.

“The Second Continental Congress established the Marine Corps on Nov. 10, 1775 and commissioned the 31-year-old Samuel Nicholas as a captain in charge of getting the service established. Nicholas raised his first recruits from patrons at a tavern in Philadelphia. Oorah!,” Womack reports.

Since the pole can only bear one flag at a time, Womack employs his home’s balcony on Memorial and Veterans days to line up the U.S. branch standards in correct order: Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.

His favorite state flag is Ohio’s because of its standout design in red, white and blue with a swallowtail V-shape at its fly end or outermost edge. It’s the only non-rectangular state flag.

He’s been gifted a few city flags representing the givers’ hometowns, such as Oakland and Tulsa, the latter with its stylized award-winning design incorporating a blue field to symbolize the Arkansas River, a gold horizontal line to represent the 1901 discovery of oil, a gold shield that represents the Native American tribes forced to relocate to that region. Within the shield, a red circle represents blood shed and lives lost during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre that destroyed Black Wall Street. It is also a nod to the Oklahoma state flag.

“And just for fun, I have a Jolly Roger for Talk Like a Pirate Day,” he said of the parodic international holiday on Sept. 19.

“When I hoist a different flag I usually post a photo of it on Facebook (shorturl.at/d7MBg) and describe a little bit about the flag and why I am flying it,” he said.

The details are also displayed on an information post next to the sidewalk in his front yard, which he’s dubbed the “WTF Post” or, “What the Flag?”

“Since we live across the street from Pioneer Park, there are many passersby who stop and read it. Several have mentioned how much they did not know about the flags. Of course, some walk by the post and never look up from their phones,” he said.

Womack’s universe of flags unfurled when his fourth-grade teacher encouraged students to leaf through the World Book Encyclopedia with their free time in class.

“I discovered that the F volume had some of the few full-color pictures and, of course, these were of flags. “I became enamored with the wide variety of designs and the symbolism behind all the elements of each flag,” he said.

Womack retired from the U.S. Air Force as a colonel in the Medical Service Corps with 26 years of service from 1980-2005. An encore career followed from 2005-2021 as a civilian healthcare administrator.

“I was surrounded by flags in the military and learned the U.S. Flag Code, which describes proper care, respect, display and etiquette for the American flag.”

In order to fly the U.S. flag every day, his first flag pole went up at his and wife Julie Womack’s first house after he left the military. When the next Olympic Games arrived, he bought an Olympic flag and has collected various flags ever since.

“Consequently, we’ve lived many places — I think this is about house number 22. We had many choices where to live after retirement.

“Julie and I chose Walla Walla to enjoy the quality of life and the friendliness of the community,” David said.

“This is home,” he said of their Division Street residence of nearly four years.

Womack is such a flag fan he’s a member of the North American Vexillological Association, making him a vexillogist, or one who studies flags.

“With over 1,100 members from over 30 countries, it is the world’s largest organization of flag enthusiasts,” David said. “NAVA publishes journals of flag research for its more serious members and has activities for more casual hobbyists.”

NAVA meets the challenge of a diverse world of flags through online meetings for such interest groups as the Revolutionary War era, city flags, tribal flags and flag redesign.

“NAVA also has groups for elementary, middle school and high school audiences, growing the next generation of vexillologists.”

NAVA’s 59th annual meeting will be in Seattle in October. Details are at nava.org.

In the 14-21 days leading up to Independence Day David conducts his Vexillologic Countdown to the Fourth of July by flying Revolutionary-era flags capped by the 13-star “Betsy Ross Flag” as the finale.

“Many of the flags of this era have been adopted by modern groups and movements that have significantly altered the flags' original meaning,” David said.

“So, I take extra care to describe each flag’s historical significance and importance of each flag during Revolutionary times.

“Flying flags as a hobby can be a little tricky. Flags can conjure strong emotions across political and cultural ideologies,” David said.

News stories weekly report about people stealing and burning flags and municipalities adopting flag policies to try and keep the peace among different groups, he said.

“The meaning of flags sometimes change over time, which can give the wrong impression when flying historical flags,” he said.

“A prime example of this is the Gadsden flag more commonly known as the ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag or the Pine Tree Flag, which features the phrase ’An Appeal to Heaven.’”

“The original meaning of these two flags was not to abolish government or create strongman leaders but to oppose the divine right of kings and for the people to govern themselves by a representative democracy,” David said.

When he isn’t immersed in all things flags, David devotes time to the Walla Walla Alliance for the Homeless as board president, serves on the city’s Sustainability Committee, is a member of Noon Rotary and is a precinct committee officer.

Nerdy hobby? Maybe. “But I still find flags interesting and fun just like my fourth-grade self. The history, symbolism, designs and even their controversies of flags are a source of fascination for me. By flying various flags and sharing a little information about them, I hope to enlighten others and bring a little whimsy to their day.”