Remember the flag on June 14

Flags have been a prevalent symbol for a couple of weeks now, and flags will continue to be seen throughout Enterprise and the Wiregrass, especially in the days leading up to July 4th.

In between Memorial Day, where flags can be seen marking the graves of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service, and July 4th, there’s a little holiday that many may not be aware of: Flag Day.

The flag is the symbol our of nation. It is historic and beautiful. So, of course, there should be a day to celebrate it and what it means to the American people.

The birthday of the American flag, according to usflag.org, was believed to have been first celebrated in 1885 by BJ Cigrand, a Wisconsin schoolteacher, and his students on June 14.

In the years following Cigrand’s celebration of the flag, other teachers, organizations and more began to hold celebrations of the flag’s birthday.

“The Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th,” the U.S. Flag website states.

This celebration led to other celebrations in New York schools and Chicago.

“Franklin K. Lane, secretary of the interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: ‘I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself,’” the U.S. Flag website states.

Former President Woodrow Wilson officially established Flag Day in a proclamation in 1914. Former President Harry S. Truman signed an act designating June 14 as National Flag Day.

The design of the original flag was established through the resolution of the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777.

“The resolution read: ‘Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field representing a new constellation,’” according to military.com.

The number of stars has grown on the flag, and the flag stands in more areas than just homes, businesses, government buildings and the like on American soil.

Our flag can be found around the world, and the remains of our flags can be found on the surface of the moon.

Our flag is historic and has seen the history of our nation. It has seen changes in the people, both good and bad, and it still stands as a reminder of who we are to others around the world.

On June 14, take a second to appreciate that several pieces of cloth sewn together have been through so much and still stand today.

Cassie Gibbs is a staff writer for The Southeast Sun and Daleville Sun-Courier. The opinions of this writer are her own and not the opinion of the paper. She can be reached at (334) 393-2969 or by email at [email protected].