deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The Virgin Islands of The United States. They are an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States. They are part of the Virgin Islands Archipelago located approximately 40 miles east of Puerto Rico. There are three main islands: St. Croix; St. John and St. Thomas.

The islands were previously known as the ‘Dutch West indies’. These islands were inhabited by the Ciboney people as early as 1000 BC. The Aawaks people came next and finally the Carib round 1500 AD.

At one time or another Spain, France, Britain and the Netherlands all laid ‘claim’ to these islands.

In the early 1900s the US became interested in this strategic area of the Atlantic. By the Second World War the US was concerned that if the Germans took the group of islands for submarine bases, it would be a major problem. And, of course there were the oil reserves found which pretty much sealed the deal.

People on the US Virgin Islands are citizens of the US, but they can’t vote for President. They send one delegate to congress but that person can only sit on committees – they can’t vote on the floor.

The flag is a simple white field with the familiar eagle from the US Coat of Arms. It holds a laurel branch in one talon and instead of 13 arrows (for the original 13 colonies) it holds 3 arrows for the 3 main islands.

It is a simple, fairly well designed flag.

“The Virgin Islands were of long interest of the United States, “…but as far back as the Civil War the U.S. was aware of their value as a possible U.S. Naval depot, commanding as they do the most important sea approaches from the Atlantic to the Caribbean”. Following the decline of the sugar industry, the Danish began to have interest in selling the islands, but the United States senate was disinterested in the deal because of the building of the Panama Canal which significantly affect global trade and specifically United States Trade. Years later, there was mutual interest due to the fact that Denmark was struggling financially from war with Prussia and Austria, the United States had interest because Denmark was under threat of German invasion which caused fear that the Germans would then inhabit the Virgin Islands. In January 1917, the United States would agree to purchase the Virgin Islands for “$25 million ($295 per acre), then regarded as an exorbitant sum for land that amounted to hardly more than a tenth of the size of Rhode Island, the smallest state.”. The first Transfer Day celebration/ceremony occurred on March 31, 1917.”