Nearly everyone in the United States knows the dates for holidays like Independence Day, Christmas and Thanksgiving, but how many know when Flag Day Is?
If you guessed June 14, you’d be correct. That’s the day that marks the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on June 14, 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.
In Chula Vista, VFW Post 211 is the civic organization responsible for placing about 80 American flags on Third Ave between E and G Streets on Flag Day. They also distribute flags to patients at Fredericka Manor.
To the VFW’s Women’s Auxiliary’s Tracy Huerta Flag Day means “we need to respect our flag and honor our flag. We need to remind people how important our flag is.”
The anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 wasn’t officially established until a proclamation issued by President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916.
However, while Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it wasn’t until Aug. 3, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
Nationwide, Flag Day is celebrated by displaying and flying Old Glory, as well as with fanfare including parades. Perhaps the oldest continuing U.S. Flag Day parade is that which has been held annually in Fairfield, Wash. since 1909-10. Appleton, Wis., however, claims to be the oldest National Flag Day parade in the nation, hosting its parade annually since 1950. The largest Flag Day parade is held annually in Troy, New York, typically drawing 50,000 spectators.
The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House in Baltimore, Md., birthplace of the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to pen his famous poem, has celebrated Flag Day since the inception of a museum on the property in 1927. That annual celebration commemorates the Star-Spangled Banner and its creator Mary Pickersgill.
The week of June 14 is designated as “National Flag Week.” During National Flag Week, the president issues a proclamation urging U.S. citizens to fly the American flag for the duration of that week. The flag is displayed on all government buildings.
On Third Avenue the array of American flags are a dynamic addition that serve two purposes on to the public thoroughfare.
With the support of the local VFW, the flags not only help bring attention to Third Avenue,” she said. “It most importantly provides with a good partnership that honors the military.”
The flag can be displayed on all days, but in particular it should be flown on: New Year’s Day, Jan. 1; Inauguration Day, Jan. 20; Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday, third Monday in January; Lincoln’s Birthday, Feb, 12; Washington’s Birthday, third Monday in February; and Easter Sunday.
The original “Old Glory” was a flag owned by the 19th-century American sea captain William Driver (March 17, 1803 – March 3, 1886), who flew the flag during his career at sea and later brought it to Nashville, Tennessee, where he settled.
The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the U.S flag; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice.
Dos and don’ts of flag flying:
• The flag should not be dipped to any person or thing. It should never be displayed with the union down, save as a signal of dire distress. It should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise. It should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
• When the flag is displayed in a manner other than by being flown from a staff, it should be displayed flat, whether indoors or out. When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left.
