| PRAISING THE FLAG The rituals that surround our flag have always has a mystical quality, able to summon feelings of love and loyalty, passion and patiotism. In the past, those feelings were so strong, our leaders set aside a day devoted to celebrating the flag and all it stands for. That celebration has dimmed with time, but the truth is we NEED FLAG DAY now more than ever. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson made Flag Day official by proclamation, commendorating the Flag Resolution of 1777 - the fprmal adoption of the Stars and Stripes as the symbol chosen to represent unity in diversity, one nation out of several. Flag Day has fallen out favor in recent years, with some of its spirit absorbed by Memorial Day on side of the calendar and Independance Day on the other. But it still lives, on the federal calendar and in our hearts. If for no other reason, Flag day serves as a quiet reminder of the role a nation's banner plays in the lives of its citizens. When we see our Flag flapping in June sunlight, oft times other banners unfurl in our memory. We recall the tattered, battle-worn flags displayed reverently in museums and town halls, silent witnesses to conflicts that helped preserve our freedom before we were born. We remember watching young Scouts raising the flag at our grade schools each morning, sometimes moving with an awkward, but loyal, dignity. And if we count a veteran among our dearly departed of our family, we remember them each time we set the triangle-folded flag - the legacy of a warrior gone to rest - sitting in its place of honor on the mantel or among our cherished mementos. The flag is much more than the pennant of memory, though. When our country goes to war, the flag is both a standard carried into battle ans a talisman carried on the home front, a magic cloak of protection flown in the face of our worse fears. It is always a comfort to see the FLAG shining bright and clear; it helps to make feel safe and comfortable. We live in complicated times now. On June 14 (and every day) wave The Flag with pride - in recognition of the fact that we live in a place that preserves the right to show our true colors. addendum: That ole poem of our youth...."Hats off, along the street there comes, The blare of bugles, the ruffle of drums. And loyal hearts are beating high, Hats off! Our FLAG is passing by." Keep the Faith! Pray to God! Give thanks for our country and our Flag. Charles Knappenberger, Chaplain, ASA Korea |
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| Honoring the FLAG of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA..........OLD GLORY, long may she wave.............! "This flag which we honor and under which we serve, is the emblem of our unity, our power, our thought and purpose as a nation. It has no other character than that which we give it from generation to generation." -President Woodrow Wilson, 1917 "This is my COUNTRY, land that I love; This is my COUNTRY, greatest on earth...... I pledge Thee my allegiance, AMERICA, the Gold........ For, this is my COUNTRY...to have and to hold!" "Hats off! Along the street there comes, A blare of bugles, the ruffle of drums; And loyal hearts are beating high... Hats off! Our FLAG is passing by...." Long May She WAVE!!!!!!!!! |
| "The Flag Goes By" written by Henry Holcomb Bennett (born, 12/5/1863) Hats Off! Along the street there comes A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums, A flash of color beneath the sky: Hats off! The flag is passing by! Blue and crimson, and white it shines, Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines, Hats off! The colors before us fly; But more than the flag is passing by. Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great, Fought to make and to save the State: Weary marches and sinking ships; CHEERS OF VICTORY ON DYING LIPS; Days of plenty and years of peace; March of a strong land's swift increase; Equal justice, right and law. Stately honor and reverend awe; Sign of a nation, great and stong To ward her people from foreign wrong: Pride and glory and honor, - all Live in the colors to stand or fall. Hats off! Along the street there comes A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums; And loyal hearts are beating high: Hate off! The flag is passing by! |