14 June 2009
Sharon’s Sunday Blog
Posted by Roy Bischoff under: Uncategorized .
HONORING THE STARS AND STRIPES
Patriotism is much more than treating the flag with respect, but it certainly includes honoring the flag and appreciating what it represents.
I Am Old Glory
I Am Old Glory: For more than ten score years I have been the banner of hope and freedom for generation after generation of Americans.
Born amid the first flames of America’s fight for freedom, I am the symbol of a country that has grown from a little group of thirteen colonies to a united nation of fifty sovereign states.
Planted firmly on the high pinnacle of American Faith my gently fluttering folds have proved an inspiration to untold millions.
Men have followed me into battle with unwavering courage.
They have looked upon me as a symbol of national unity.
They have prayed that they and their fellow citizens might continue to enjoy the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, which have been granted to every American as the heritage of free men.
So long as men love liberty more than life itself; so long as they treasure the priceless privileges bought with the blood of our forefathers; so long as the principles of truth, justice and charity for all remain deeply rooted in human hearts, I shall continue to be the enduring banner of the United States of America.
Originally written by Master Sergeant Percy Webb, USMC.
Our Flag
by Sharon Price Anderson
Our flag has a message for you and for me
and all who inhabit the land of free.
We must stand for the right as others have done
for that is the way independence was won
by those who loved freedom and fought for her cause
then established a government based on God’s laws.
Others fought bravely the truth to defend
And freedom blessed our beautiful land.
With each generation prosperity grew
for each person was free his life’s work to pursue
and every citizen, regardless of station,
could proudly share in the hope of the nation.
Today our flag beckons for patriots who
will stand and be faithful, courageous, and true.
We can strengthen our country by choosing what’s right,
and honor the ensign of liberty’s light,
that others will also her glory remember
and hold high the standard of freedom forever.
(“Our Flag” was first published in Freeman Family Fun summer 1984)
Here are some excerpts about the history of Flag Day from www.usflag.org :
The idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’. . .
Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
Today is also a good day to review Flag Ettiquette. What is the proper way to display the flag? When and how should the flag be saluted? To answer these and other questions go to http://www.usflag.org/flagetiquette.html http://www1.va.gov/opa/feature/celebrate/flagdisp.asp
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