Today is Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the American flag.
As a person who loves red, white, and blue and stars and stripes, I’ve been known to have Flag Day parties.
Today, however, I headed to a local air show. The airport is near my house, so, for days, I’ve heard airplanes coming in for the air show and practicing for it. This year, as in past years, I tried to take photos of the planes, but they always look like specks.
So I set out, umbrella in hand in case of rain, to see the air show this year.
Planes and helicopters from various wars flew and some did tricks. I took a lot of photos, and tried to make a few movies, unsuccessfully.
In the Flag Day proclamation for 2014, President Obama said:
- For more than two centuries, Americans have saluted Old Glory in times of trial and triumph. Generations have looked to it as they steeled their resolve, and an unbroken chain of men and women in uniform has served under our flag. From the banks of Baltimore's Inner Harbor to European trenches and Pacific islands, from the deserts of Iraq to the mountains of Afghanistan, they have risked their lives so we might live ours.
- When we lay our veterans to rest, many go draped with the stars and stripes upon them, and their families find solace in the folds of honor held tightly to their chest. Because of their sacrifice, our nation is stronger, safer, and will always remain a shining beacon of freedom for the rest of the world.
- With a familiar design that has evolved along with a growing nation, our flag stitches the ideals for which America was born to the reality of our times. It reminds us that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges. As we prepare to meet the great tests of our age, let every American draw inspiration from this symbol of our past, our present, and our common dreams.
The president’s proclamation and air show were very much about war.
The air show featured airplanes from World War II and helicopters from the Viet Nam War. The announcer said one of the helicopters is still in use today. The world’s only flying B-29 Superfortress, called Fifi, made its first stop in a Washington state tour.
I wish that on Flag Day the country could focus on democracy, liberty, and freedom. We have a nation that is often great, but more and more American consumers are feeling its shortcomings, as corporate power is getting stronger and richer.
War, so prominent at the air show, takes the vast majority of our nation’s resources. I wish we could do more to promote peace instead of quick decisions to send our young people into questionable wars, then make them wait months to get the treatment they need.
What is the history of Flag Day?
Congress authorized a red-white-and-blue flag with stars and stripes as the official national symbol of the United States on June 14, 1777.
On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson established by a proclamation the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777.
Although Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it wasn't until August 3, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as National Flag Day.
