A massive Labor Day frat party might be the most impressive display of raw American patriotism since the Republican National Convention.
On September 2, 2024,“Pints For Patriots” threw a giant frat party and country concert called “Flagstock 2024” at American Legion Post 6 near the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in honor of a group of fraternity brothers who defended an American flag at a campus protest back in April.
Pro-Palestine protestors at UNC-Chapel Hill had taken down the American flag and hung a Palestinian one in its stead. In response, a group of frat brothers gathered at the base of the flag pole to hold the American flag off the ground. The photo went viral and caught national attention. A GoFundMe page for the defenders of the flag raised $515,000 to throw a huge party to honor the patriotism and bravery displayed by the boys that day.
The party was an explosion of patriotism. American flags and USA logos framed the stage, country music blasted through massive speakers, and there were few students and attendees not sporting patriotic colors.
Red, white, and blue cornhole boards that were donated to the fraternity responsible for defending the flag lined part of the VIP tent.
As a thank-you to the young men, the musicians in attendance, including Aaron Lewis, Jeffrey Steele, and Lee Greenwood, performed for free. Marc Oswald, CEO of the Oswald Entertainment Group, which was responsible for coordinating the talent for the show, explained that the purpose of the party was to say thank you and to encourage patriotism in students across the country.
“There’s so much patriotism and the media is sending the opposite message. We want to make sure students all over the United States and in general feel supported and feel that it is ok to wave the flag,” said Oswald.
“I haven’t seen kids do what these kids did in a long time: stand up for the flag of our country. Its just an awesome sight to see them doing,” said Jarrod Khoury, director of operations for Flagstock 2024. “We’ve done 1,000 shows, and this is one that just spoke to us to be a part of and support and give back to these kids for doing what they did.”
The need for students to feel supported in expressing their pro-American opinions was present even at Flagstock. Several of the students who defended the flag at the protest declined to speak to conservative media. They told The Federalist they were only comfortable talking to “mainstream” reporters at the same outlets that trashed them after their brave act to defend the flag.
There was one student who was willing to give comment to The Federalist. When asked why he was at the party, the student responded, “I’m here first of all to have fun and listen to good music, but also to support my brothers and my friends who stood up for America and stood up for the flag when people were trying to tear it down.”
The New York Times chose to focus their coverage of the event on how some members of the UNC chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity, were disappointed their funds were paying for a party rather than funding charities for Jewish organizations. According to the New York Times, “The ‘rager,’ they [members of Alpha Epsilon Pi] said, felt callous given that it grew out of a painful moment for both Jews and Palestinians — all as the war in the Middle East continued.”
From the musicians eager to play for no charge, to the excited families proud to support their sons, to the fraternity brothers enjoying their all-American beers and wings, the event radiated a patriotism that hasn’t appeared in the media in a long time.
It is not only refreshing to see young people like the frat bros excited to stand up for America, but it is also comforting to see so many sponsors and artists willing to put together this event to support the actions of these pro-American college students.
