Flag Day; The Unsung Holiday

Old Glory, the Red White and Blue, The Stars and Stripes, these are just some of the many names that the United States Flag has been called over the years. Since 1776, Americans have been laying their lives on the line and making the greatest sacrifices any country can ask of its citizens.

But how many people these days even recognize that here in the Untied States when to celebrate Flag Day? Does anyone even really know what day of the year Flag Day is? Answer: June 14th and is actually a week long observance. Everyone thinks about the 4^th of July, but how many really stop to think about the Flag and what all it stands for.

Here's a quick quiz. Why does the United States Flag have red stripes?

Answer: for the blood that has been shed to defend her honor and people. Why where there thirteen stars on the blue field of the original flag? Answer: They represented the thirteen original colonies. What does it mean when a United States Flag is displayed upside down? Answer: it's a distress signal calling for help.

Many people had been burning the flag over the years thinking that they are hurting Americans. This country isn't just about a flag or piece of cloth, it's about the people. The people who have fought and died serving that flag are the same people that those who burn the flag try to dishonor, but in truth they aren't harming anyone but themselves. If the United States Flag touches the ground, the proper course of action is to burn it, because that is the only way to properly dispose of a flag. So those who tramp on the flag and wipe their feet on it, and then burn it are at least treating it with honor by properly burning the very article they meant to dishonor.

America is still the land of the free, and the home of the brave, and it remains to be so despite the efforts of those who would seek to do her harm. The proud men and women serving in our military have no choice in where they are deployed too, or when they will return. But they serve so that you and I can continue to enjoy the freedoms that so many take for granted on a daily basis.

So long as the American Flag continues to fly, we will continue to be a free country where we have the right to disagree and have responsibility to accept that we are different and that no matter how diverse we are, or what ethnic background, we all share one common thing; we are Americans. There will never be a perfect system of government so long as human beings are involved in the decision making, but here we at least have the right to speak out and make our voices heard, and our votes do count. Be thankful that the Star Spangled Banner still waves over the land of the free and the home of the brave.