What so proudly we hail

Once again, the Lee-Doncet Veterans of Foreign Wars No. 9955 and its Ladies Auxiliary would like to remind the readers of the importance of our flag. It is a national symbol and we need to honor it as such.

It was on June 14, 1777, that the Continental Congress adopted the red, white and blue stars and stripes design as the official flag of the United States. The Stars and Stripes emblem has always been a colorful reflection of American progress. It has been with us as each new state was added. It went with our soldiers, sailors, marines and every citizen who fought for freedom around the world.

The flag is older than any of us. Four years before the U.S. Constitution was ratified, our flag was flying. Twelve years before George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States, we had our flag. It was the emblem of our country 37 years before Francis Scott Key composed “The Star-Spangled Banner.” This song is now our national anthem, adopted by Congress in 1931, as a result of an intensive nationwide campaign conducted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The flag was flying 30 years before Robert Fulton sailed the first steamboat up the Hudson River. It was 54 years old when the first American steam locomotive ran between Albany and Schenectady, N.Y. Our flag was 126 years old when the Wright Brothers flew the first airplane at North Carolina in 1903.

On April 6, 1909, Adm. Robert E. Peary was the first explorer to reach the North Pole, where he planted the flag of the United States. U.S. explorer Richard E. Byrd was the first man to fly over the South Pole where he dropped the Stars and Stripes on Nov. 29, 1929. When the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine Nautilus crossed the North Pole under the arctic ice pack, the flag was honored in a special ceremony far beneath the ice on Aug. 3, 1958. Once again, our flag made history, when on July 20, 1969, two American astronauts planted the flag on the surface of the moon.

Today our flag is with our military, naval and air forces around the world guarding our freedom, so let us remember to honor our flag and to respect it. In prior years, Lee-Doncet VFW Post No. 9955 and its Ladies Auxiliary have printed items on flag etiquette, and the booklet, “Etiquette on the Starts and Stripes,” is available by contacting a member.

We remind you to show your respect to our flag by saluting when it passes in a parade. Honor and respect the flag by standing at attention and facing the flag with the right hand over the heart during the playing of the national anthem or when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

The facts listed in this Flag Day commentary are from material furnished by the Americanism Department of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Additional information is available by contacting Americanism Chairman Ruth Walker of the Lee-Doncet VFW Auxiliary No. 9955 in Pittsfield.

Ruth Walker lives in Pittsfield.