Flag Display Cases

Americanflat Folded Flag Display Case Review: Living With It on the Mantel
Flag Display

Americanflat Folded Flag Display Case Review: Living With It on the Mantel

Two cases, one on my mantel and one on a widow's bookcase, eight months in. What held up, what did not, and who should buy solid wood instead.

Americanflat Flag Case vs a Solid Wood Flag Case: Which Is Worth It?
Flag Displays

Americanflat Flag Case vs a Solid Wood Flag Case: Which Is Worth It?

One man has kept his father's burial flag in the Americanflat case since March. He has never owned a solid wood one. Here is the honest comparison anyway, including the row where the other side wins.

10 Reasons a Flag Display Case Honors a Veteran's Flag
Veteran Gifts

10 Reasons a Flag Display Case Honors a Veteran's Flag

A civilian's plain-spoken list, built from eight months of watching two flags come out of drawers and sleeves and into an Americanflat case.

The Flag Case We Gave a Veteran Friend's Widow
Veteran Gifts

The Flag Case We Gave a Veteran Friend's Widow

Walt's funeral was in January. By March his flag was out of the plastic sleeve and on Marge's bookcase. Here is what got used, what I noticed, and what I would tell you before you order one.

How to Display a Folded Burial Flag with a Flag Case
Flag Displays

How to Display a Folded Burial Flag with a Flag Case

A civilian's guide to the five things that actually matter: checking the flag, measuring the shelf, seating the fold, hanging it straight, and keeping the plexiglass clear.

Americanflat Folded Flag Display Case: An Honest Review
Veteran Gifts

Americanflat Folded Flag Display Case: An Honest Review

Two cases, eight months, and one drawer I finally stopped opening. What the listing does not tell you about the Americanflat folded flag display case.

Veteran Caps

e4Hats Veteran Cap Review: Worn Every Week at the Post
Veteran Gifts

e4Hats Veteran Cap Review: Worn Every Week at the Post

Eight months of Thursdays, one retired blank cap, and an honest look at the tall crown, the snap back and the hand-wash rule.

e4Hats Veteran Cap vs a Plain Flag Cap: Which Do Vets Prefer?
Veteran Gifts

e4Hats Veteran Cap vs a Plain Flag Cap: Which Do Vets Prefer?

One cap names the branch. The other keeps quiet. Eight months at a Thursday coffee table, and a fair look at what each one does better.

10 Reasons a Veteran Cap Makes a Great Gift
Veteran Gifts

10 Reasons a Veteran Cap Makes a Great Gift

I am not a veteran. I am the brother of one, and the man who does the shopping. Here is what happened when I stopped guessing and bought Ray a cap from e4Hats.com in March.

The Veteran Cap That Got Noticed at the Post
Veteran Gifts

The Veteran Cap That Got Noticed at the Post

My brother Ray is the veteran in the family. I am the one who buys the gifts. Here is what eight months of Thursdays taught me about a patch cap.

How to Choose a Veteran Cap Gift That Gets Worn
Veteran Gifts

How to Choose a Veteran Cap Gift That Gets Worn

I never served, so I buy for the men who did. Here is the order I check things in before I spend a dime on a cap, and the four things that decide whether it gets worn or boxed.

e4Hats Veteran Military Large Patch Cap: An Honest Review
Veteran Gifts

e4Hats Veteran Military Large Patch Cap: An Honest Review

Eight months on a 74-year-old Navy veteran's head, including the parts of this cap the listing does not tell you.

Challenge Coin Displays

DisplayGifts Challenge Coin Display Review: Coins Off the Shelf and On Show
Coin and Medal Displays

DisplayGifts Challenge Coin Display Review: Coins Off the Shelf and On Show

I bought the seven tier rack for my brother Ray in March and hung it on his den wall. Eight months later, twenty-six coins that lived in a cigar box are the first thing anyone sees when they walk in.

DisplayGifts Coin Display vs a Wall Coin Cabinet: Which Fits Better?
Display and Storage

DisplayGifts Coin Display vs a Wall Coin Cabinet: Which Fits Better?

A wall cabinet keeps coins safe. An open rack gets them handled. I hung one in my brother's den in March, and the difference showed up the first time somebody asked about a coin.

10 Reasons a Challenge Coin Display Is a Thoughtful Gift
Gift Ideas

10 Reasons a Challenge Coin Display Is a Thoughtful Gift

A cigar box, twenty-six coins, and one Saturday morning with a stud finder.

The Coin Display That Finally Gave a Veteran's Coins a Home
Veteran Gifts

The Coin Display That Finally Gave a Veteran's Coins a Home

Ray had twenty-six challenge coins in a cigar box for years. What changed was not the coins.

How to Organize a Challenge Coin Collection with a Coin Display
Coin Displays

How to Organize a Challenge Coin Collection with a Coin Display

Twenty-six coins came out of a cigar box in March. Here is the order of work that got them onto a wall without a single dinged rim.

DisplayGifts Military Challenge Coin Display: An Honest Review
Military Gifts

DisplayGifts Military Challenge Coin Display: An Honest Review

Eight months after hanging the seven-row rack in his brother's den, a civilian gives the honest version: what fits, what does not, and what the listing photos leave out.

Veteran Tumblers

Lifetime Creations Veteran Tumbler Review: Daily Coffee Runs Tested
Veteran Gifts

Lifetime Creations Veteran Tumbler Review: Daily Coffee Runs Tested

Three tumblers handed out at Thursday morning coffee in March, and eight months of watching what three veterans actually did with them.

Lifetime Creations Veteran Tumbler vs a Veteran Coffee Mug
Veteran Gifts

Lifetime Creations Veteran Tumbler vs a Veteran Coffee Mug

One goes in the truck. One stays on the counter. Eight months of watching both, and where each one honestly wins.

10 Reasons a Veteran Tumbler Is an Easy Gift Win
Veteran Gifts

10 Reasons a Veteran Tumbler Is an Easy Gift Win

Three tumblers, three veterans, eight months of daily use. What held up, what I would warn you about, and why this was the easiest gift I bought this year.

The Tumbler That Went to Every Veterans Meeting
Veteran Gifts

The Tumbler That Went to Every Veterans Meeting

I bought three of them in March for the men at my Thursday table. Eight months later, one of them has not missed a morning yet.

How to Pick a Veteran Tumbler Gift That Actually Gets Used
Veteran Gifts

How to Pick a Veteran Tumbler Gift That Actually Gets Used

Five decisions that separate a veteran gift that gets used from one that gets thanked and shelved, from a civilian who has watched both happen at his brother's kitchen table.

Lifetime Creations Engraved Veteran Tumbler: An Honest Review
Veteran Gifts

Lifetime Creations Engraved Veteran Tumbler: An Honest Review

A civilian's honest look at a 20 ounce engraved tumbler, eight months after three of them went to Thursday coffee.

Military History Books

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose Review: A Gift Book That Gets Read
Books and Media

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose Review: A Gift Book That Gets Read

Three paperback copies went around a table of four men at a veterans post. Eight months later, here is what actually happened.

Band of Brothers Book vs the HBO Series: Which Do Veterans Prefer?
Veteran Gifts

Band of Brothers Book vs the HBO Series: Which Do Veterans Prefer?

I read the paperback, Ray had the DVD set, and four men at the post went through the whole book from April into June. Here is where each one wins.

10 Reasons Band of Brothers Is a Great Book for a Veteran
Books and Media

10 Reasons Band of Brothers Is a Great Book for a Veteran

A civilian's honest list, from a man who read it first and then handed it around a table of four veterans at Thursday morning coffee.

The Book Passed Around the Veterans Table
Veteran Gifts

The Book Passed Around the Veterans Table

Three paperback copies, four men, and one summer of Thursday arguments at the post.

How to Start a Veterans Reading Group with Band of Brothers
Veteran Gifts

How to Start a Veterans Reading Group with Band of Brothers

A civilian's guide to the reading group that actually finished: three paperback copies, four chairs, forty minutes, and no sign-up sheet.

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose: An Honest Review
Books and Media

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose: An Honest Review

Three paperback copies, four men at a Thursday coffee table, and three months of reading. What the book asks of you, and who it is wrong for.

All Reviews

Americanflat Folded Flag Display Case Review: Living With It on the Mantel
Flag Display

Americanflat Folded Flag Display Case Review: Living With It on the Mantel

Two cases, one on my mantel and one on a widow's bookcase, eight months in. What held up, what did not, and who should buy solid wood instead.

Americanflat Folded Flag Display Case: An Honest Review
Veteran Gifts

Americanflat Folded Flag Display Case: An Honest Review

Two cases, eight months, and one drawer I finally stopped opening. What the listing does not tell you about the Americanflat folded flag display case.

e4Hats Veteran Cap Review: Worn Every Week at the Post
Veteran Gifts

e4Hats Veteran Cap Review: Worn Every Week at the Post

Eight months of Thursdays, one retired blank cap, and an honest look at the tall crown, the snap back and the hand-wash rule.

e4Hats Veteran Military Large Patch Cap: An Honest Review
Veteran Gifts

e4Hats Veteran Military Large Patch Cap: An Honest Review

Eight months on a 74-year-old Navy veteran's head, including the parts of this cap the listing does not tell you.

DisplayGifts Challenge Coin Display Review: Coins Off the Shelf and On Show
Coin and Medal Displays

DisplayGifts Challenge Coin Display Review: Coins Off the Shelf and On Show

I bought the seven tier rack for my brother Ray in March and hung it on his den wall. Eight months later, twenty-six coins that lived in a cigar box are the first thing anyone sees when they walk in.

DisplayGifts Military Challenge Coin Display: An Honest Review
Military Gifts

DisplayGifts Military Challenge Coin Display: An Honest Review

Eight months after hanging the seven-row rack in his brother's den, a civilian gives the honest version: what fits, what does not, and what the listing photos leave out.

Lifetime Creations Veteran Tumbler Review: Daily Coffee Runs Tested
Veteran Gifts

Lifetime Creations Veteran Tumbler Review: Daily Coffee Runs Tested

Three tumblers handed out at Thursday morning coffee in March, and eight months of watching what three veterans actually did with them.

Lifetime Creations Engraved Veteran Tumbler: An Honest Review
Veteran Gifts

Lifetime Creations Engraved Veteran Tumbler: An Honest Review

A civilian's honest look at a 20 ounce engraved tumbler, eight months after three of them went to Thursday coffee.

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose Review: A Gift Book That Gets Read
Books and Media

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose Review: A Gift Book That Gets Read

Three paperback copies went around a table of four men at a veterans post. Eight months later, here is what actually happened.

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose: An Honest Review
Books and Media

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose: An Honest Review

Three paperback copies, four men at a Thursday coffee table, and three months of reading. What the book asks of you, and who it is wrong for.

Gift notes from the Thursday table

An occasional note on veteran gifts that got used and the ones that did not, sent when there is something worth saying.