Flag Day

Do you know that June 14th is Flag Day -- a day to commemorate the stars and stripes? This date has slowly disappeared in significance.

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress approved the design of a national flag.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14. Before 1916, many towns and a few states had been celebrating the day. Congressional legislation designating that date as the national Flag Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1949. The legislation also called upon the president to issue a flag day proclamation every year.

Per the Library of Congress: "According to legend, in 1776, George Washington commissioned Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross to create a flag for the new nation. Scholars debate this legend, but agree that Mrs. Ross most likely knew Washington and sewed flags. To date, there have been twenty-seven official versions of the flag, but the arrangement of the stars varied according to the flag-makers' preferences until 1912 when President Taft standardized the then-new flag's forty-eight stars into six rows of eight. The forty-nine-star flag (1959-60), as well as the fifty-star flag, also have standardized star patterns. The current version of the flag dates to July 4, 1960, after Hawaii became the fiftieth state on August 21, 1959."

Here's a song sung by Bill Murray to make you smile. This song is popularly known as "You're a grand old flag," but was originally called "You're a grand old rag" when George M. Cohan created his musical, "George Washington, Jr."

Memorial Day

Originally, Memorial Day was declared a day to honor war veterans who bravely fought in the Civil War. After World War I, the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday. The holiday was also placed on the last Monday in May, as were most other federal holidays.

The observance of Memorial Day likely had many origins. Many towns planned or had spontaneous gatherings of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's. Stories exist of different localities in the US creating a "Day of Remembrance" and honoring veterans. There is one story of a springtime tribute that first occurred in Columbus, Miss., on April 25, 1866. "A group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well." [US Department of Veteran Affairs]

Memorial Day is not about the division of the North and the South; it is not about being for or against a particular war. Memorial Day is about reconciliation and honoring those who died serving our country.

Traditional observances of Memorial day have diminished over the years. Many Americans have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. The graves of the fallen are often ignored or neglected. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

As Memorial Day 2008 approaches, let us remember all those brave soldiers who have given their all for our country.

Thanks to the US Army Band for this moment of reflection.