An eternal symbol

and Susie Ouderkirk

Remember to honor the American flag

Las Cruces Bulletin

The Star Spangled Banner. Old Glory. The Stars and Stripes. The Red, White and Blue. Whatever you call the American flag, it’s arguably the most recognized symbol of these United States of America.

Old Glory was adopted as the official flag of the United States by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777 – 239 years ago – in this resolution: “Resolved: that the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

The colors of the flag were set forth in a report Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson wrote in 1782 to define the Seal of the United States, according to www. homeofheroes. com. He stated, “The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; white signifies purity and innocence, red, hardiness & valour, and blue … signifies vigilance, perseverance and justice.”

Flag Day, which is celebrated on June 14, has been an annual American tradition since 1885, when school teacher B.J. Cigrand arranged for Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6 students to observe June 14 as “Flag Birthday,” according to usflag.org.

Some lesser known facts about our flag popped up on the Fox News Magazine website.

“There are federal regulations governing the handling and display of the flag (the U.S. Flag Code), including restrictions on using the flag’s likeness for advertising, or printing it on anything intended ‘for temporary use or discard,’ like cocktail napkins or paper plates. Under the Flag Protection Act of 1989, there are also federal laws that call for criminal penalties for certain forms of flag desecration, although the Supreme Court found this act to be unconstitutional under the First Amendment in 1990.”

And Betsy Ross, bless her heart, probably didn’t create the first flag. According to Fox News Magazine, “Betsy Ross is widely credited with designing the first American flag, but there is almost no evidence to support that claim. The only records of Ross’ involvement came from her own grandson in 1870, when he presented the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia with affidavits from his own family members as evidence. Instead, many historians believe that Francis Hopkinson deserves the credit, because early journals from the Continental Congress are said to explicitly name him as the flag’s designer.”

Finally, an update on the flag situation on the moon. The website states: “Despite the harsh temperatures and conditions of the moon’s atmosphere, five of the six flags that were planted during the Apollo missions are still standing. According to Buzz Aldrin, the one that fell was blown over by the exhaust from Apollo 11 during its liftoff from the moon’s surface.”

On July 4th, take a moment to put your hand over your heart and really look at the flag. “It’s a grand old flag, it’s a high-flying flag and forever in peace may it wave…”