Flag Day
Of all the special occasions we celebrate each year, Flag Day, June 14, stands out among the most important. Today, we’re not just honoring a flag; the dyed fabric and thread. Instead, we are pausing to honor everything the iconic symbol represents; our country, its government and our American way of life.
When we talk about the American flag, we’re talking about you and me, and our parents, and our friends. We’re talking about all of the people who are Americans. We’re talking about the freedoms we enjoy in this country. We’re talking about their hopes and their dreams, and their plans for the future. We’re talking about our form of government; a government that gives us more freedom than any other type of government in the world. It is a government that may not be perfect, but it is of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is a government that you and I can take part in. We are able to cast our vote in free elections, and we can even run for president of this country if we want to.
When we talk about our flag, we’re talking about freedom. And it is not just the freedom we have today, or the freedom that we will have the rest of our lives; We’re talking about the freedom that millions of American men and women have fought to defend since our country was founded nearly 250 years ago in 1776. It took almost eight years and cost thousands of lives to force our freedom in that revolution. But when it was over, we were free, and we have remained free ever since. And that is the way it has been for more than two centuries. I want you to think about that for a second.
For nearly 248 years we have been a free country and a free people, and the reason why we have stayed free for so long is that millions of American men and women have fought to protect those freedoms. In war after war, they have held the line against those who would take our way of life from us.
To those who either have or are currently wearing one of the uniforms of our armed forces, our flag is a constant reminder of the past. Its red symbolizing the blood shed from patriots who fought to ensure freedom for their country. Its blue symbolizing the beating and bruising endured to attain peace. And its white symbolizing the integrity with which they have served or are currently serving and the purity of their mission. And to America, the flag remains the pinnacle of American idealism and the beacon of enduring hope. It represents the spirit of every racial stock of the earth, whose hearts unite in an indivisible force in pursuit of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.