The headquarters flag used by George Washington during the Revolutionary War will go on display in Philadelphia next month, marking its first public appearance in the city since the war itself.

The rare faded and fragile blue silk flag, which measures two feet by three feet, will be on display in the Museum of the American Revolution from Flag Day, June 14, through June 17. The display will also mark the flag’s first public appearance in Pennsylvania in decades.

Adorned with 13 six-pointed stars to represent the original 13 colonies, the artifact is thought to be the earliest surviving 13-star American flag.

'THE FIRST OVAL OFFICE': MUSEUM WILL SHOWCASE WASHINGTON’S REVOLUTIONARY WAR TENT

The flag will be joining another historic Washington artifact in the Museum in Philadelphia’s Old City. The General’s Revolutionary War field tent is on permanent display at the Museum of the American Revolution, where it is displayed in a dedicated theater.

Described as ‘the first Oval Office,’ the canvas tent was Washington’s Command Center throughout the Revolutionary War. The tent went on display when the Museum opened its doors in April 2017.

“This is an incredibly special opportunity to witness a true American treasure, General George Washington’s personal flag, under the same roof as the tent that served as his command center throughout the war,” said Museum Chairman and Acting CEO General John P. Jumper, in a statement emailed to Fox News. “The adoption of the U.S. flag took place right here in Philadelphia, so there is truly no better place to celebrate Flag Day and everything it stands for.”

EXTREMELY RARE COPY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, ONCE HIDDEN BEHIND WALLPAPER, SURFACES

Jumper, a retired four-star general, spent nearly four decades in the U.S. Air Force.

The historic flag was donated to the Valley Forge Historical Society by descendants of George Washington’s sister, Betty Washington Lewis, in the early 20^th century. The society subsequently transferred the collection, including the Standard, to the Museum of the American Revolution.

The Museum will also display a replica of the flag that traveled into space with astronaut John Glenn in 1998 as part of the buildup to the bicentennial commemoration of Washington’s death in 1799.

INCREDIBLE REVOLUTIONARY WAR JOURNAL SURFACES, DETAILING POW'S ESCAPE FROM BRITISH PRISON SHIP

Revolutionary War artifacts offer a fascinating glimpse into the events that shaped America. Other items in the Museum of the American Revolution’s collection include a host of Revolutionary War-era weapons, artworks and documents. A young American sailor’s journal detailing his harrowing experiences during War, for example, was recently donated to the Museum.

In August 2017, a Revolutionary War-era knife was unearthed during an archaeological dig at Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, Michigan, the latest in a series of amazing finds at the site.

The following month, archaeologists in Boston discovered a centuries-old outhouse that may be linked to the family of Patriot Paul Revere.

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Semper Fi is the calling card of the U.S. Marines and one man carries the motto with him.

Guido Filippone, a Marine who served between 2004 and 2008, was leaving a VA appointment on May 16 when he noticed a man wearing a World War II baseball cap.

“I immediately approached him and thanked him for his service.”

- Guido Filippone

“I immediately approached him and thanked him for his service,” Filippone said.

It was a hot Texas day and Filippone was concerned about the man walking across the long stretch of parking lot—walker in tow—to return to his car.

“There was no one around with a golf cart to get him there faster.”

Filippone offered to escort him to his vehicle. During the walk, Filippone discovered the man was a World War II vet named Mike Gazella.

“We got to talking and he told me he was drafted into the Army and he was stationed in Germany as the war was ending.”

Filippone also learned the reason for Gazella’s visit to the VA that day. Gazella had medical bills piling up for over a year due to operations. According to Filippone, Medicare footed most of the costs, but Gazella was cutting through red tape to get the VA to cover what was left. He drove over a half hour from Leander, Texas, to the clinic in Austin to see if the VA could pay the remaining balance of $4,000.

“If I had a checkbook, I would have given the money to him right there. I wouldn’t want a World War II vet to move on to the next phase of life in debt,” Filippone said.

He offered to help Gazella who promptly refused. Filippone did the next best thing. He turned to crowdfunding platform GoFundMe and set up an account sharing his plight with the Internet.

Gazella had no idea this was happening.

“I always say we already have the Greatest Generation—we should be the better generation. Never miss a chance to thank a veteran.”

- Guido Filippone

Filippone, who is running the campaign for seven days, has already far surpassed his $4,000 goal. In 16 hours of the campaign being posted, he raised more than $11,000. His biggest challenge is ahead of him.

“I have to track this guy down. I know he goes to Starbucks every day in Leander—there’s only two Starbucks in Leander. I’m going to go to both, ask around and give him a check.”

Filippone has a word of advice for paying it forward.

“I could have easily just walked away and moved on. It’s nice to give back when you can,” Filippone told Fox News.

“I always say we already have the Greatest Generation—we should be the better generation. Never miss a chance to thank a veteran.”

A Florida soldier has reunited with a stray dog she rescued while stationed in Iraq.

U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Tracy McKithern was stationed in Kurdistan Training Coordination Center as a combat photographer when she laid her eyes on Erby, a small, dirty white stray pup who looked hungry.

It was love at first sight.

McKithern and the other soldiers stationed at the multinational military organization near Erbil started caring for the pup, giving her the name Erby Kasima – after Erbil, the largest city in northern Iraq, and for the Arabic name meaning “beauty and elegance.”

“She loved everyone,” the soldier told FOX13. “She is the sweetest little soul. She came up to me immediately, probably hungry, but gentle. I think she was looking for love more than anything else.”

McKithern was stationed in Iraq from April 2017 to January 2018 and every time coalition soldiers would go on convoys – with McKithern documenting the missions – Erby would eagerly await their return.

“She ran up to our convoy every day,” she recalled. “She was so tiny she would fall and trip all over herself to get to us.”

As McKithern’s date to return stateside approached, she wondered about the possibility of bringing Erby back to the U.S. with her.

“One night I posted a pic of us on Facebook, with the caption that read something like ‘I wish I could take her home,’” she said. “I went to sleep, woke up and my friends and family had posted links to various rescue groups.”

One of them was the non-profit Puppy Rescue Mission, who immediately responded. Through crowdfunding, McKithern was able to raise the $4,500 needed to pay for all documentation, vaccinations and travel arrangements to get Erby to the U.S.

She documented the whole ordeal on Instagram.

McKithern returned earlier this year and with help from other soldiers in Iraq, Erby was set to follow her several weeks later.

Weeks before Erby’s arrival to the U.S., McKithern received orders for a 67-day mission to Fort McCoy, Wisconsin – starting the very same day her pup was scheduled to arrive.

“I couldn’t believe it!” she recalled, “but I’m a soldier first…it killed me that it was going to keep me away from Erby for another two months, but it’s an important mission. It will all be worth it in the end.”

On March 11, as McKithern flew out to Wisconsin, her husband, Sgt. Wes McKithern, also a combat cameraman, met Erby at JFK airport in New York and drove her home to Tampa.

On Wednesday, McKithern returned home and, after many months apart, finally reunited with Erby.

A group of Kentucky middle schoolers have won a prestigious award for developing an ingenious device that lets first responders to safely collect hazardous needles left behind by opioid and other drug users.

The students from Ashland Middle School in Ashland, KY., are one of the national winners of Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow contest, which promotes Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM).

Aubree Hay, a 7^th grader at Ashland Middle School is one of the students that worked on the project. “In our area, we have a very big opioid crisis and there’s a problem with people leaving around syringes,” she told Fox News. Local police officers, she added, have been getting hurt dealing with the syringes.

GOOGLE TAPS TECH TO BATTLE OPIOID CRISIS

When the school’s public resource officer explained the extent of the problem, the students decided to harness technology to find a solution.

Hay and her classmates started work on the device last October. After an initial design phase, they used 3D printing to create the hollow molded plastic box. One side of the rectangular box consists of plastic teeth, enabling a first responder pick up any discarded needles without exposing them to the sharp tip.

The prototype was completed in February. Such was the level of interest in the device that local law enforcement asked the students to make a version that could fit into an evidence beaker. The middle schoolers duly created a cylindrical prototype that could potentially fit into a police evidence bag. 

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The students, who are aged 11 to 14, entered their project in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, winning $150,000 of technology for their school. They were also named Community Choice Award winners, which will bring a further $20,000 of technology to Ashland Middle School.

“Our hard work paid off!” said Hay.

Ann Woo, senior director of corporate citizenship at Samsung Electronics America, told Fox News that the judges were impressed by the students’ understanding of a challenging issue and their desire to help first responders in their community. “What we thought was really so amazing was their ingenuity, their ability to prototype and create different designs,” she said.

The students will be meeting with lawmakers Senator Mitch McConnell (R.-KY), Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), and Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) in Washington D.C. on Wednesday.

This is not the first time that technology has been used in the battle against America’s opioid crisis.

For National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 28 Google worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to develop a Google Maps tool to help people get rid of medicines they no longer need.

The two other national winners of the Samsung competition were Cavallini Middle School in Upper Saddle River, N.J., which developed a helmet concussion sensor and Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Winston-Salem, N.C., which built a smart flood gate system.

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About seven decades after he dropped out of high school, a 94-year-old World War II veteran will walk the stage of Leominster High School in Massachusetts to finally receive his diploma.

Roland Martineau, a Navy veteran from Leominster, Mass., never finished high school. His mother died when he was 6 and his father split soon afterward. Martineau’s grandparents could not afford to keep sending him to school, so he dropped out and joined the workforce.

He got married and then joined the Navy, serving in the Pacific.

“We went looking for trouble. We found it,” he joked to Boston 25 recently. “And we took care of it.”

NATION'S OLDEST WWII VETERAN, RICHARD OVERTON, TURNS 112: 'HE'S A CRACKERJACK'

When he returned from war, Martineau became a welder. He wanted to finish school but did not have the opportunity to do so.

The decorated “sea bee” went on to live a long life. He has four sons, 17 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and a great-great-grandchild on the way.

He recently told his longtime barber, Donna Salvi, that never getting his diploma was his biggest regret.

“He’s just an easy person to love. He reminds me of my father, who would’ve been about his age right now,” she told Boston 25.

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Salvi, and her boyfriend, Leominster firefighter Bobby Penning, made it their mission to help him achieve his dream.

“I went to the vets – the veterans center of Leominster, and then I went to the mayor’s office, then I went to the school department,” Penning said.

NORTH CAROLINA WWII VETERAN CELEBRATES 100TH BIRTHDAY: 'HE IS EXTRAORDINARY'

It was going to be a surprise, but a bout of pneumonia in which Martineau felt he was not going to leave the hospital changed plans.

“We said, ‘Pepe, you have a really big surprise coming up, you have to hang on,’” Wendy Albert, Martineau’s granddaughter, told Boston 25.

Martineau’s health soon improved.

VIETNAM VETERAN'S REMAINS IDENTIFIED AFTER NEARLY 47 YEARS MISSING

On June 2, Martineau will finally receive his high school diploma, nearly 70 years in the making.

"He says: 'I can't wait to get my hair cut the day before graduation," Salvi said.

A Korean War veteran struggling to get by can now breathe a sign of relief after a group of around 100 volunteers in the Phoenix area spent a day helping renovate his home.

Jordan Dancer, 83, told Fox 10 about the financial struggles that weighed on his life.

WORLD WAR II VETERAN, 96, RECEIVES COLLEGE DEGREE MORE THAN 60 YEARS AFTER HIS LAST CLASS, REPORT SAYS

"I had so much stress in my life because I just didn't know what to do," Dancer said, adding that "sometimes, I hated for the mail to arrive because it was just bills."

His home and yard was spruced up by Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit that gives free repairs to affordable homes for those in need. The organization's director of construction operations, Jeremiah Churchill, said volunteers painted Dancer's home and weeded his yard.

"He wants a light yellow and cobalt blue, so it's definitely going to make it a little more lively," Churchill told Fox 10 of Dancer's house.

Dancer told the news station he couldn't afford to use his air conditioner -- "If I could double my income, I would still be below the poverty level" -- so he uses evaporative coolers, which the volunteer group fixed.

NATION'S OLDEST WWII VETERAN, RICHARD OVERTON, TURNS 112: 'HE'S A CRACKERJACK'

Dancer told Fox 10 he feels blessed by the volunteer work. "I'm just, I'm really thankful and there are lots and lots of good people."

The nation’s oldest veteran celebrated his 112th birthday on Friday.

Richard Overton, believed to also be the oldest person in America, was born in 1906 in Bastrop County, located just outside of Austin. The WWII veteran served in the 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion from 1942 to 1945, which included stops in Angaur, Peleliu and Iwo Jima, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

“I love to have a birthday,” he told the newspaper, adding that he hopes to “live another five years.”

Overton credits God, whiskey and cigars as the secret to his long life.

The veteran celebrated his birthday Friday from his home in East Austin, where he’s lived since returning from WWII. The street on which he lives -- Richard Overton Avenue -- was named in honor of his 111th birthday last year, according to FOX7.

Overturn, who has met former President Barack Obama and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, among other notable people, requires 24/7 in-home care, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

To help with this expense, his family created a GoFundMe page for Overton that has raised more than $230,000 of its $400,000 goal.

That said, Overton hasn’t let age slow him down -- just last month, the now 112-year-old flew on a private jet to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

“He’s like a gift to Austin that keeps giving,” Overton’s friend, Steve Wiener, told the newspaper. “He’s a crackerjack. When people sense his humor and playfulness, it just lightens everyone’s step.”

A WWII veteran in Summerfield, North Carolina celebrated his 100th birthday on Sunday.

On May 6, Philip Dixon commemorated his centennial with friends and family at the Liberty Wesleyan Church, Pastor Danny Janes told Fox News on Thursday, adding that Dixon has been a long-time “beloved” member of the congregation.

In light of his birthday, Janes said Dixon picked the hymns for Sunday’s service. But little to the veteran’s knowledge, the church had also planned various birthday surprises.

Summerfield Mayor Gail Dunham personally delivered a proclamation in Dixon’s honor, while Rep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., sent a letter congratulating the veteran. Other community leaders also wished Dixon a happy birthday, Janes said.

The church also presented Dixon with a “memorial booklet” and a crystal plaque, which paid tribute to the veteran. Dixon served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during WWII as an air gunner, the pastor added.

Following the service, the congregation continued the celebration with balloons and cake.

Janes said Dixon was "moved” and “touched” by the celebration.

The 100-year-old has three living sons. Irene, his wife of 63 years, died nearly a decade ago. His only daughter passed in 1995.

While “Philip is in a place where he is physically feeble,” he is “very sharp mentally,” Janes said, adding that Dixon lives alone and drives himself to church every Sunday.

“He is extraordinary,” said Janes.

As for the secret to his long life? “Just keep breathing,” Dixon always says, the pastor added.

Optimus Prime, eat your heart out.

Houston Mechatronics, led by ex-NASA engineers, announced what it calls a "revolutionary underwater robot" earlier this month, known as Aquanaut. The robot is designed for work in both the military and oil industry and can transform into two modes: an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).

“We firmly believe that this technology is a revolution in subsea robotics, said Houston Mechatronics CEO Matthew Ondler in a statement on the company's website. "Aquanaut, and our tightly coupled over-the-horizon software Commander, enables Houston Mechatronics to deliver more feature rich, safer subsea services to commercial and defense customers that demand it.”

GIANT WALKING ROBOT TRANSFORMS INTO A SPORTS CAR

Ondler added: "Aquanaut represents the pinnacle of our company’s expertise and experience and we are beyond excited to introduce this vehicle to customers.”

Last week, the company posted a video to its YouTube channel to show off Aquanaut:

Speaking with LiveScience, Houston Mechatronics's spokesman  Sean Halpin said the 2,315-pound robot represents an advancement over what's currently in the market.

"When Aquanaut moves through the water, we want as little drag as possible to extend the maximum range of what the vehicle can do on battery power," Halpin said. "By enclosing the limbs, we're able to operate the vehicle over great distances, up to 200 kilometers [124 miles]."

Halpin added that Aquanaut also has two key selling points that may appeal to potential customers: the aforementioned range and its arms. In AUV mode, its arms reached 9 feet 6 inches and in ROV mode, they extend another 2 feet, bringing its total reach to 11 feet 6 inches.

Nic Radford, Houston Mechatronic's CTO, said that the company "saw a great opportunity" to alter the commercial and defense subsea markets with Aquanaut and believes that the new robot will help cut down on costs.

"We have removed the need for onsite vessels (and people) from subsea work while still maintaining the operator’s situational awareness and the ability to modify missions, which our customers demand," he said in the statement, adding that the company's capability "can truly transform industries."

NASA HAS A PLANT TO PUT ROBOT BEES ON MARS

Halpin said that Aquanaut is designed to make any adjustments to itself and repair itself if needed, given that it will likely be operating many miles away from its human operators.

The company said it will present the Aquanaut, which is being funded by the Defense Department and the oil industry according to Defense One, at upcoming conferences in both Houston and Denver.
 
It's expected to be marketed to Houston Mechatronic clients sometime later this year.

Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia

An airman-turned-dentist will be among the thousands to offer free dental care to veterans next month during Aspen Dental's fifth annual “Day of Service” event.

Dr. Jere Gillan, who served as an aircraft loadmaster after enlisting in the Air Force in 1995, said that the event, which is part of Aspen Dental’s Healthy Mouth Movement, is an opportunity to connect with fellow veterans who have had life experiences similar to his.

“It warms my heart every time I get to meet somebody that’s kind of been through the same thing I have, or we have similar experiences,” Gillan, who practices in Orlando, Fla., told Fox News.

“I was very fortunate when I left the service to finish college and go on to become a dentist — but I know a very small percentage have had my experience, it’s mostly the opposite.”

Gillan, who is one of the estimated 10,000 dentists and office personnel volunteering their time and skills on June 9, said he knows firsthand how difficult it can be for veterans to access dental care. He said that many patients he sees on “Day of Service” haven’t had dental care since leaving the military.

Aspen Dental Management, Inc. supports 660 offices in 37 states providing those practices with business support and administrative services.

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“The first year we saw veterans I was in the Orlando office and a guy named Bill came in, and he had no teeth — they were just like pieces of teeth resting in the gums,” Gillan said. “He hadn’t seen the dentist in about 20 years, but he was a really vibrant, funny character.”

Gillan said that Bill complained about not being able to go on a date in 15 years because of his teeth.

“We decided that Bill needed our help pretty badly that day, so we said, ‘Listen, we’ll make impressions, get you a set of dentures, and we’ll get you something you can be proud of,’” he said.

Gillan said he saw Bill several times afterward for adjustments, and that he joked about not being able to keep the women away from him now with his new look.

“We gave him confidence and that just made me smile — it changed his life,” Gillan said. “We try to give them confidence back, we try to empower them to be part of their community if they feel like they can’t in their current dental condition.”

COURT SIDES WITH MOM TO KEEP BOY ON LIFE SUPPORT AS SHE DESPERATELY SEEKS TRANSFER

He said that many success stories involve veterans being able to go on job interviews following treatment offered during “Day of Service.”

In addition to office visits, Aspen Dental provides care via the MouthMobile, a 42-foot long moving dentist office that has traveled to 30 states over the last four years. In total, the campaign has donated an estimated $10 million in dental care to 17,000 veterans across its 500 offices.

“The biggest investment is time from the volunteers, doctors and teams that are there,” Gillan said. “They love doing it and taking care of people that need our help.”

Starting May 1, veterans can call 1-844-277-3646 to find a participating office.

 

Customers, passengers, and employees have grown to expect access to the Internet wherever they are. Many businesses and individuals can’t get anything done without it. 

So as billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk work to make commercial space travel not just a reality but a norm, one group is working to make sure people can stay connected while they are in zero gravity. 

“We want to be able to live and work in space, have fun in space, and vacation in space. And when we get there we want to make sure we have Internet,” said Brian Barnett, CEO of Santa Fe, NM-based Solstar. 

Space may be the final frontier, but it’s no longer the final place people can go to disconnect. On Sunday, Solstar sent the first tweet from space, using only commercial infrastructure. 

“It was exhilarating and very, very fulfilling,” said Mark Matossian, COO of Solstar. “Any activity like this in aerospace is moments of sheer terror punctuated by hours of boredom. So those critical moments when the rocket’s going and things have to happen quickly, yeah it’s pretty exciting.”

It's unclear how many companies are vying to create the technology, which requires approval by the Federal Communications Commission.

Although there’s rocket science used to make it work, Solstar’s Wi-Fi should be as easy to use as any other network. Even on a cellphone or laptop, according to Barnett. 

The system will use a series of satellites to provide internet access and continuously switch to the satellite with the best signal to avoid lost connections. Barnett said the concept is similar to how cell phones switch cell towers. Solstar's Communicator will be inside the space ship or space station, to create the Wi-Fi network.

“You’re on the rocket getting ready to go up, then you just make sure, we’ll make sure you’re connected to the Solstar Wi-Fi signal and then we take the rest from there,” said Barnett. 

Solstar’s biggest challenge in creating the system, is access to space. They rely entirely on rides from other private companies like Blue Origin or SpaceX. That limits how much testing it can do, but company officials hope to experiment more often as commercial space flights become more frequent. 

“We’d like to provide the telecom services for those astronauts, those civilian astronauts or space tourism astronauts. And I think the important thing there is to give them the opportunity to share the experience of being in space,” said Matossian. 

Some people believe one day buying a ticket to space will be just as easy as buying a plane ticket. It even appears promising to NASA, which gives financial help to Solstar so it can run in-space experiments like Sunday’s ride with Blue Origin. 

“We see this as part of the commercialization of LEO (low-earth orbit). The idea of this Wi-Fi is now you’re bringing infrastructure service like you have on the ground or onboard airplanes, into a space environment,” said Ron Young, a Program Manager for NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. 

NASA currently provides its own infrastructure for internet. Maintaining satellites and ground infrastructure is a very expensive operation, which is paid for by taxpayers, so that’s why the agency wants to begin outsourcing that service for commercial travelers. 

Young said he hopes Wi-Fi in space will one day be as easy to use as the internet in an office or apartment. He also wants commercial Wi-Fi to improve the affordability.

“It may be a way NASA can leverage off commercial capability,” said Young. 

NASA could also use the Wi-Fi to connect to a payload it is delivering in space and check that the payload is functioning properly, according to Young. 

But don’t expect Wi-Fi in space to be cheap. Many of Solstar’s earliest clients will likely be the super-rich who have bought tickets to space. Barnett said he’ll send a bill like any other internet provider, but it will have a few more zeroes. It could cost tens of thousands of dollars a month to send tweets or post on Facebook from space.

“If you want to fly in space on one of these private rockets and you want to use internet, use the internet and use as much data as you want and we’ll send you the invoice at the end the month,” said Barnett.