History of the Use of the Yellow Ribbon

While most people know that Tony Orlando and Dawn are popular for familiarizing the nation with the yellow ribbon through their song, " Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree ", not many people realize how the tradition started. While Tony Orlando and Dawn did sing the song, the writers deserve just as much credit. They were Irwin Levine and L. (Larry) Russell Brown. Tony Orlando himself, does not like to take credit for the song. He gives the credit to the writers. He says" I was merely the mailman delivering the mail." Thanks to all of them, we now use the yellow ribbon for everything from missing children to returning veterans.

Most of us remember the use of the yellow ribbons during the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979 to 1980. This really is the first time that the yellow ribbon was used as a symbol. I can remember walking around my college campus with a yellow ribbon tied to my arm. All the college students wore one during that year.

However, Penny Laingen was the one to start us all wearing them. She as the first to use the yellow ribbon as a patriotic symbol. Her husband, Bruce Laingen was one of the hostages during the Iran Hostage Crisis. Ms. Laingen was asked by the media how the idea of using the yellow ribbon began. She stated, " It just came to me, to give people something to do, rather than throw dog food at Iranians. I said, ' Why don't they tie a yellow ribbon around an old oak?." This was the very beginning of the whole tradition.

Since that time, we have used the yellow ribbon for Desert Storm, The war in Afghanistan, and now the war in Iraq. I am sure we all have driven behind cars that have yellow ribbon magnets. There are countless web sites that sell yellow ribbons and yellow ribbons magnets. I have two such magnets on my fridge.
They were even used after 9/11 to remember those that we had lost in the attack on the World Trade Centers.