Wearing fatigues displaying medals he earned while in the Army and standing in front of a large American flag, Jim Mertz speaks to fifth-graders at Lincoln Prairie Elementary School about the history of the flag.

During his presentation, which he has done for 17 years, he and Navy veteran John White go through 13 flags. Mertz talks about different stars, stripes and color layouts while White holds flags up.

Mertz, who was in the Army from 1966 to 1968, served in Vietnam and had the rank of specialist when he left the military. He worked as a draftsman and did guard duty with convoys. He is now a member of the Lake in the Hills American Legion Post 1231.