Flag day 2011
Hello America! Today is flag day. Don't forget to show our colors, see and hear this fantastic post below. This is a special treat to hear our fine young women and men now serving us in the military. Listen;
I read a post last night about Flag Day and some of it's history so I thought I would share some of it's history as well.
Celebrated every June 14th in the USA, millions of Americans observe Flag Day by waving Old Glory outside their homes and businesses.
Veteran's groups and sometimes whole communities also arrange civic functions and special ceremonies in honor of Flag Day.
As the legend goes, it was George Washington and two other members of the Continental Congress who asked Betsy Ross to sew the first American flag sometime in the late spring of 1776.
The young widow was only in her early 20's when she completed the first flag with thirteen stars arranged in a circle. A year later, the Continental Congress officially adopted the design for the national flag, and henceforward the Stars and Stripes symbolized the U.S. around the world.
The first "official" Flag Day was celebrated in 1877 - the flag's centennial. In 1916, a grass roots movement resulted in President Woodrow Wilson issuing a proclamation that called for a nationwide observance of Flag Day on June 14. Although still not an official holiday, Flag Day was made a permanent observance in America in 1949 by Congress who resolved "That the 14th day of June of each year is hereby designated as Flag Day."
Flag Day fun facts
Why red, white and blue? To the original members of the Continental Congress, red stood for hardiness and courage, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance and justice.
Why thirteen stars and stripes? They represented the thirteen American colonies which rallied around the new flag in their fight against the British for self-governance.
The thirteen colonies included Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia.
To this day, thirteen stripes still commemorate the original colonies. Instead of thirteen stars, today the number of stars on the US flag has grown to 50, representing every state in the Union.
How to celebrate Flag Day
Wave Old Glory from the front porch, apartment balcony or window, or attend Flag Day parades or festivities sponsored by local organizations. Hold an open house or a backyard barbecue. Decorate the backyard in red, white, and blue. A Flag Day menu might include lots of American favorites like hamburgers, hot dogs and, for desert, how about an American flag cake?
Although Flag Day isn't celebrated like Memorial Day is, it is our Flag and it symbolizes what our country stands for and why our brave men and women fight for it. We wave flags when we are feeling especially patriotic and who can forget the picture of those men raising that flag amidst the rubble on 9/11. The flag is folded and given to the spouse of a deceased loved one who proudly served our country.
The flag is draped across the coffins of the men and women who died fighting for this country. The flag or OLD GLORY is America's symbol of freedom. We should celebrate that proudly each year, month and day in some way just as we should the brave men and women who fight to defend it.
HAPPY FLAG DAY EVERYONE
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