Mark your September calendar, fly the flag on these dates

September 3, 2015

Business Insider photo of a giant flag suspended at the George Washington Bridge between New York City and New Jersey, on September 2, 2013

Business Insider photo of a giant flag suspended at the George Washington Bridge between New York City and New Jersey, on September 2, 2013, to celebrate Labor Day; Collins Flags said: “This flag isn’t just any flag, it is the largest free-flying American flag in the entire world. It measures a total of 90 feet (27 meters) long and 60 feet (18 meters) wide. In order to preserve the quality of the flag, the Port Authority took the flag down Monday evening after letting it fly all day.”

Five days designated by law to fly the U.S. flag in September — only one statehood day, though, for California. In chronological order:

  • Labor Day, the first Monday in September — September 8, in 2015
  • California Statehood, September 9 (1850, the 31st state)
  • Patriot Day, September 11
  • Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, September 17; September 17-23 is also designated Constitution Week, though flag flying is not mentioned as a recommended activity (you may feel free to fly your flag anyway)
  • Gold Star Mothers Day, last Sunday in September — September 27 in 2015

An American battle flag flew for the first time in battle on September 3, 1777, but this date is usually not commemorated.

This occurred during a Revolutionary War skirmish at Cooch’s Bridge, Delaware. Gen. William Maxwell, commanding a Patriot force of infantry and cavalry, ordered the new flag raised in a clash with an advance guard of British and Hessian troops.

The rebels were defeated and forced to retreat to the encampment housing Gen. George Washington’s main force near Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania.

Three months beforehand, on June 14, the Continental Congress resolved that “the flag of the United States be 13 alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

The new national flag, which quickly became known as the “Stars and Stripes,” was based on the “Grand Union” flag – a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that consisted of 13 red and white stripes.

September features several other commemorations that usually involve no flag flying:

More:

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Posted by Ed Darrell

Flags in Missouri: Displayed backwards?

August 10, 2015

It’s interesting trying to find photographs of the U.S. flag displayed with a state flag, as I do for posts on each state’s statehood day celebration.  Today is Missouri’s anniversary of admission to the union in 1821, and I looked high and low for a good photo.

Along the way I found a photo of three flags displayed at the Missouri Capitol Building. They flew half-staff to honor a recently deceased state official, so I didn’t think it illustrated a statehood celebration well.

When flown on flagpoles in a row, of even height, the U.S. flag always flies on it’s own right, or to the left of a viewing audience (see paragraph f of this part of the U.S. Flag Code).

That’s not where it’s flown at the Missouri Capitol.

U.S. flag always flies on the viewer's left. What's going on in this photo of the Missouri Capitol? Caption from the New York Daily News: Flags around the Missouri Capitol complex in Jefferson City were lowered to half staff after the suicide of state Auditor Tom Schweich on Feb. 26. On March 30, a spokesman for the office, Robert Jackson, committed suicide. Photo: AP

U.S. flag always flies on the viewer’s left. What’s going on in this AP photo of the Missouri Capitol? Caption from the New York Daily News: “Flags around the Missouri Capitol complex in Jefferson City were lowered to half staff after the suicide of state Auditor Tom Schweich on Feb. 26. On March 30, a spokesman for the office, Robert Jackson, committed suicide. Photo: AP”

Anybody know what’s up? Do these three flagpoles “face” the Capitol?

While we’re at it: The black flag is the POW-MIA flag. The flag in the center is the state flag of Missouri. What is the flag on the photo’s left?

4 Comments | Flag etiquette | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Missouri Statehood Day, August 10 (Does Missouri care?)

August 10, 2015

Under the U.S. Flag Code, Missourians are encouraged to fly the Stars and Stripes on August 10 to honor Missouri’s entering the union in 1821 as the 24th state.

Does Missouri celebrate this event at all? I’m not finding much on celebrations in 2015. Perhaps the state is preoccupied with other events.

Missouri and U.S. flags adorn the Missouri House of Representatives on opening day 2015. St. Louis Post-Dispatch caption:

Missouri and U.S. flags adorn the Missouri House of Representatives on opening day 2015. St. Louis Post-Dispatch caption: “The opening day of the Missouri House of Representatives 98th General Assembly at the Missouri State Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015. Photo by Cristina Fletes-Boutte, cfletes-boutte@post-dispatch.com”

Surely Missourians know the date. Plans for the bicentennial in 2021 promise a huge celebration then.

I can find a record of a modest celebration of statehood in 2014.

If you find news of any activities relating to the commemoration of Missouri statehood in 2015, please let us know in comments.

With or without fanfare, Missourians, you may fly your flags to day to honor statehood.

1 Comment | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Colorado Statehood Day, August 1 – Fly your flags

July 31, 2015

Colorado won proclamation as a state on August 1, 1876, the 38th state in the United States.

U.S. and Colorado flags flutter from the same flagpole. Denver Library image

U.S. and Colorado flags flutter from the same flagpole. Denver Library image

According to Colorado newspaperman and politician Jerry Koppel, Colorado’s path to statehood started in 1864, in an attempt to get another Republican state to boost Abraham Lincoln’s re-election chances.  Coloradans rejected the proposed constitution in a plebiscite, however, which pushed the effort into the next Lincoln administration — which, sadly, a month into Lincoln’s new term, became the Andrew Johnson administration.

High politics:  Colorado took a tortuous path to statehood.  While Colorado was not frustrated so often nor so long as it’s nextdoor neighbor, Utah, laws proposed to bring the state into the union were vetoed twice by President Andrew Johnson.  History from the Andrew Johnson National Historical Site in Greenville, Tennessee:

Colorado Statehood

First Veto:

1. There was such a small population in the area, Johnson felt Colorado would fare better as a territory without the added taxation of statehood.

2. Also due to the small population, Colorado would have only one representative to speak for the people in Congress. (New York, on the other hand, had thirty-one).

3. Johnson felt the citizens of Colorado were not prepared for, and not all wanted, statehood. Johnson wanted to hold a census or an election there first. This would ascertain the number of people in the area, as well as find out what their strongest desire was.

Second veto:

1. Johnson didn’t agree with the Edmunds Amendment which said that Nebraska and Colorado had to give equal suffrage to blacks and whites as a statehood condition. Johnson felt this was unconstitutional because Congress couldn’t regulate a state’s franchise, and the people had not been allowed to vote on it.

2. After holding a census, Johnson felt the population was still too small for statehood.

NOTE: In addition, Johnson did not feel right about adding new states to the Union when the Confederate States had not yet been readmitted to the Union and were still unrepresented.

Congress sustained the veto.

Jerome B. Chaffee. Library of Congress descrip...

Jerome B. Chaffee, one of Colorado’s first U.S. Senators, and the man who earlier pushed through Congress the law admitting Colorado into the Union. Library of Congress description: “Chaffee, Hon. J.B. of Colorado” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Colorado Republican and millionaire Jerome Chaffee, serving as the Colorado Territory delegate to Congress, managed to get a statehood bill passed in 1875, in the second term of President Ulysses S Grant; Grant signed the law.   Colorado drafted a state constitution that passed muster, Coloradans approved it, and President Grant declared Colorado the 38th state on August 1, 1876.  Chaffee was elected one of the first U.S. Senators from Colorado by the new state legislature.  In an odd footnote, President Grant’s son, Ulysses S Grant, Jr., married Chaffee’s daughter Fannie in 1881.

In 1875, Chaffee claimed 150,000 people lived in the state, but most historians think that figure was inflated; the 1880 census counted 194,000 people. Some historians doubt that count was accurate.

No doubt there are at least that many people in Colorado today.  Several counties in the northeast corner of the state got together in 2013 to explore the possibility of separating from Colorado to form their own state.  Does the political cauldron in Colorado ever cool? (Did those secessionists ever cool?)

Happy statehood day, to the Centennial State.

More:

An American flag hangs in front of a burning structure in the Black Forest, a thickly wooded rural region north of Colorado Springs, Colo. Authorities reported early Saturday that 473 houses had been incinerated. Air Force photo

One of the more dramatic images from Colorado in recent years, courtesy the U.S. Air Force. Captioned in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 15, 2013: “An American flag hangs in front of a burning structure in the Black Forest, a thickly wooded rural region north of Colorado Springs, Colo. Authorities reported early Saturday that 473 houses had been incinerated.”

PRCA Rodeo in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; photo from SeaSweetie's Pages

PRCA Rodeo in Steamboat Springs, Colorado; photo from SeaSweetie’s Pages

Yes, this is mostly an encore post. Fighting ignorance requires patience.

Yes, this is mostly an encore post. Fighting ignorance requires patience.

Leave a Comment » | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History, Statehood | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2015 – fly your flag if you want to

July 27, 2015

Commemoration in 2013: President Barack Obama delivers remarks to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended the Korean War, at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Saturday, July 27, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

Commemoration in 2013: President Barack Obama delivers remarks to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended the Korean War, at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., Saturday, July 27, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

President Obama issued a proclamation for National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day in 2015, though the law Congress passed specified it should run only until 2003. There was no proclamation to urge flag flying, however.

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
July 24, 2015

Presidential Proclamation — National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, 2015

NATIONAL KOREAN WAR VETERANS ARMISTICE DAY, 2015

– – – – – – –

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION

Throughout history, the United States has stood as a powerful force for freedom and democracy around the world.  In the face of tyranny and oppression, generations of patriots have fought to secure peace and prosperity far from home.  And in 1950, as Communist armies crossed the 38th parallel just 5 years after the end of World War II, courageous Americans deployed overseas once again to stand with a people they had never met in defense of a cause in which they both believed.  On National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, we honor all those who sacrificed for freedom’s cause throughout 3 long years of war, and we reaffirm our commitment to the security of the Republic of Korea and the values that unite our nations.

Often outnumbered and outgunned, nearly 1.8 million Americans fought through searing heat and piercing cold to roll back the tide of Communism.  The members of our Armed Forces endured some of the most brutal combat in modern history; many experienced unimaginable torment in POW camps, and nearly 37,000 gave their last full measure of devotion.  Their sacrifice pushed invading armies back across the line they had dared to cross and secured a hard-earned victory.

The Korean War reminds us that when we send our troops into battle, they deserve the support and gratitude of the American people — especially once they come home.  We must make it our mission to serve all our veterans as well as they have served us, always giving them the respect, care, and opportunities they have earned.  And we will never stop working to fulfill our obligations to our fallen heroes and their families.  To this day, more than 7,800 Americans are still missing from the Korean War, and the United States will not rest until we give these families a full accounting of their loved ones.

Today, the Republic of Korea enjoys a thriving democracy and a bustling economy, and the legacy of our Korean War veterans continues on in the 50 million South Koreans who live with liberty and opportunity.  The United States is proud to stand with our partner in Asian security and stability, and our commitment to our friend and ally will never waver — a promise embodied by our servicemen and women who fought from the Chosin Reservoir to Heartbreak Ridge and Pork Chop Hill, and by every American since who has stood sentinel on freedom’s frontier.

No war should ever be forgotten, and no veteran should ever be overlooked.  Today, on the anniversary of the Military Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War, let us remember how liberty held its ground in the face of tyranny and how free peoples refused to yield.  And most of all, let us give thanks to all those whose service and sacrifice helped to secure the blessings of freedom.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim July 27, 2015, as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day.  I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities that honor our distinguished Korean War veterans.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

BARACK OBAMA

At this blog, we urge you to remember what is often called “the forgotten war,” and the veterans of the war, and the sacrifices of those veterans and those who did not return. You may fly your flag if you wish.

Save

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2 Comments | Flag etiquette, History, korean war | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Flags at half-staff to honor Chattanooga military dead, starting July 21

July 21, 2015

Flag at half-staff at the White House. (File photo, of an earlier occasion)

Flag at half-staff at the White House. (File photo, from 2004)

President Barack Obama called for Americans to fly the national flag at half-staff for five days, in honor of the victims of the shootings at military recruiting offices in Chattanooga, Tennessee:

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release                                                                         .July 21, 2015

Presidential Proclamation — Honoring the Victims of the Tragedy in Chattanooga, Tennessee

HONORING THE VICTIMS OF THE TRAGEDY IN CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE

– – – – – – –

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Our thoughts and prayers as a Nation are with the service members killed last week in Chattanooga.  We honor their service.  We offer our gratitude to the police officers and first responders who stopped the rampage and saved lives.  We draw strength from yet another American community that has come together with an unmistakable message to those who would try and do us harm:  We do not give in to fear.  You cannot divide us. And you will not change our way of life.

We ask God to watch over the fallen, the families, and their communities.  As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on July 16, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, July 25, 2015.  I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of July, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.

BARACK OBAMA

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s e-mail notices call for the same for Michigan:

Governor Rick Snyder

Gov. Rick Snyder joins White House in honoring service members killed in Chattanooga

Michigan Office of the Governor sent this bulletin at 07/21/2015 04:02 PM EDT

Gov. Rick Snyder joins White House in honoring service members killed in Chattanooga

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder joins President Obama in calling for all U. S. flags to be lowered to half-staff today, July 21 through Saturday, July 25, in recognition of the five service members killed in last week’s Chattanooga, TN shooting.

The flag should be returned to full-staff on Sunday, July 26.

“This senseless act of violence is a tragedy resulting in the loss of five courageous men dedicated to protecting the freedoms of our country,” Snyder said. “On behalf of all Michiganders, I thank them for their service. We join with their families and the entire military community in honoring their bravery and mourning their loss.”

The four U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy Sailor were shot in an attack at two military centers in Chattanooga on July 16.

When flown at half-staff or half-mast, the U. S. flag should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff or half-mast position. The flag should again be raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day.

Update: Boy Scouts of America released news that Marine Staff Sergeant David Wyatt was also an Eagle Scout.

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Posted by Ed Darrell

What dates do we fly the flag in July?

July 15, 2015

Austin (Texas) American Statesman blog, 2011: Left to right, Flo Gonzalez, 17, Sarah Lewis, 17, Tyler Soberanes, 15, and Jessica Knowles, 16, of the Georgetown High School ROTC Honor Guard, march down Main Street at the Fourth of July Parade. - See more at: http://photoblog.statesman.com/waving-the-flag-on-the-fourth-of-july#sthash.6a5xZKIo.dpuf

Austin (Texas) American-Statesman blog, 2011: Left to right, Flo Gonzalez, 17, Sarah Lewis, 17, Tyler Soberanes, 15, and Jessica Knowles, 16, of the Georgetown [Texas] High School ROTC Honor Guard, march down Main Street at the Fourth of July Parade. – See more at: http://photoblog.statesman.com/waving-the-flag-on-the-fourth-of-july#sthash.6a5xZKIo.dpuf – Photo surely is copyrighted by photographer Jay Janner and the American-Statesman

July 4. Surely everyone knows to fly the flag on Independence Day, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.*

In the month of the grand patriotic celebration, what other dates do we fly the U.S. flag? July 4 is the only date designated in the Flag Code for all Americans to fly the flag.  Three states joined the union in July, days on which citizens of those states should show the colors, New York, Idaho and Wyoming.

Plus, there is one date many veterans think we should still fly the flag, Korean War Veterans Armistice Day on July 27.  Oddly, the law designating that date urges flying the flag only until 2003, the 50th anniversary of the still-standing truce in that war.  But the law still exists.  What’s a patriot to do?

Patriots may watch to see whether the president issues a proclamation for the date.

Generally we don’t note state holidays or state-designated flag-flying events, such as Utah’s Pioneer Day, July 24, which marks the day in 1847 that the Mormon pioneers in the party of Brigham Young exited what is now Emigration Canyon into the Salt Lake Valley. But it’s a big day in Utah, where I spent a number of years and still have family. And I still have memories, not all pleasant, of that five-mile march for the Days of ’47 Parade, in that wool, long-sleeved uniform and hat, carrying the Sousaphone. Pardon my partisan exception. Utahns will fly their flags on July 24.

  • Idaho statehood, July 3 (1890, 43rd state)
  • Independence Day, July 4
  • Wyoming statehood, July 10 (1890, 44th state)
  • New York statehood, July 26 (1788, 11th state)
  • National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, July 27 (flags fly at half-staff, if you are continuing the commemoration which was designated in law only until 2003)

More:

_____________

* July 4? But didn’t John Adams say it should be July 2?  And, yes, the staff at Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub sadly noted that, at the Georgetown, Texas, July 4 parade in 2011 pictured at top, it appears no one saluted the U.S. flag as it passed, as the Flag Code recommends. MFB’s been fighting flag etiquette ignorance since 2006. It’s taking much, much longer than we wished.

1 Comment | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Fly your flag today, July 4, 2015

July 4, 2015

Follow the example of the young Gerald Ford.

1929: #President Gerald R Ford Jr holding flag with Eagle Scout Guard of Honor Mackinac Island State Park #Michigan. Tweet from America's Gallery

1929: #President Gerald R. Ford, Jr. holding flag with Eagle Scout Guard of Honor, Mackinac Island State Park, #Michigan. Tweet from America’s Gallery

Flags up in the morning, down at sunset.

Have a good, safe and joyful Fourth of July.

4 Comments | Boy Scouts of America, Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History, Presidents | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

June 15: Should we fly the flag for Arkansas statehood?

June 15, 2015

Arkansas statehood day is June 15 — Arkansas became the 25th state in 1836. Arkansas residents fly their U.S. flags today in commemoration of the event, the 179th anniversary.

U.S. and Arkansas flags fly at the State Capitol; image from the Arkansas Secretary of State.

U.S. and Arkansas flags fly at the State Capitol; image from the Arkansas Secretary of State.

But I see in news reports stories about how the actual law passed a couple of days earlier, though news didn’t get to Arkansas until about July 4.  Is June 15 the real Arkansas statehood day?

What say you, Arkansas historians? Can you explain it?

We’re flying our flags anyway, for National Flag Week, which is celebrated the week in which Flag Day occurs, June 14.

More:

Leave a Comment » | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

June 1: Fly your flags today in Kentucky and Tennessee for Statehood Day

June 1, 2015

Our laws on flag flying encourage citizens to fly U.S. flags on specific dates, and on the date of statehood of the state in which a citizen lives.

Kentucky joined the union on June 1, 1792, the 15th state.  Tennessee joined four years later, on June 1, 1796, becoming the 16th state.

Fly your flags today in Kentucky and Tennessee — or wherever Kentuckians or Tennesseeans may be — in honor of statehood.

U.S. and Tennessee flags flying together on one staff. Photo by J. Stephen Conn

U.S. and Tennessee flags flying together on one staff. Photo by J. Stephen Conn

Kentucky's state flag, by Gage Skidmore

Kentucky’s state flag features a Native American and European colonist standing together, and the state motto, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall.” Photo by Gage Skidmore

Kentucky’s admission to the union pushed the U.S. flag to 15 stars and 15 stripes.   President George Washington signed the law that authorized the U.S. flag be expanded to 15 stripes in early 1794.  I’ve not pinned down the history of what happened next.  So far as I know there was no law expanding the flag to 16 stripes, and in 1818, Congress said the flag would be 13 stripes, and stars equal to the number of states.

A 15-striped Star-spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor in 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that is now the lyric to our national anthem.  President James Monroe signed the 13-stripe law in 1818.

What happened in between?  I suspect there are a lot of 15-stripe flags, but it wouldn’t surprise me to find a 16-stripe flag somewhere.  A variety of stars-and-stripes flags cropped up, which the 1818 law was intended to squelch.

Residents of the Bluegrass State and the Volunteer State should fly their flags today, in honor of their state’s having joined the union on June 1.

More:

http://twitter.com/hoyosplacido3/status/604008354571259904

 

Yes, this is mostly an encore post. Fighting ignorance requires patience.

Yes, this is mostly an encore post. Fighting ignorance requires patience. And repetition.

1 Comment | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History, Statehood, War of 1812 | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

On what dates should we fly the flag in June?

May 31, 2015

Betsy Ross house in Philadelphia, by tradition the birthplace of Old Glory.

Betsy Ross house in Philadelphia, about 1900, by tradition the birthplace of Old Glory. “Happy Flag Day from Shorpy! Detroit Publishing Co. glass negative.” Image via Shorpy. Betsy Ross House is a traditional site for Philadelphia’s celebration of Flag Day.

June holds only two days designated for flying the U.S. flag out of the specific days mentioned in the U.S. Flag Code, and six statehood days, when residents of those states should fly their flags.  Plus, there is National Flag Week.

Two Flag Code-designated days:

  • Flag Day, June 14
  • Fathers Day, third Sunday in June (June 21)

Several states celebrate statehood. New Hampshire, Virginia, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia celebrate statehood; Kentucky and Tennessee share the same date.

  • Kentucky, June 1 (1792, 15th state)
  • Tennessee, June 1 (1796, 16th state)
  • Arkansas, June 15 (1836, 25th state)
  • West Virginia, June 20 (1863, 35th state)
  • New Hampshire, June 21 (1788, 9th state), and
  • Virginia, June 25 (1788, 10th state)

Additionally, Congress passed a resolution designating the week in which June 14th falls as National Flag Week, and urging that citizens fly the flag each day of that week.  In 2015 that would the week of June 14, which falls on Sunday, through June 20.

Nine designations covering 10 separate days, listed chronologically:

  1. Kentucky and Tennessee statehood, June 1
  2. Flag Day, June 14; National Flag week, June 14 to 20
  3. Arkansas statehood, June 15 (duplicating National Flag Week)
  4. West Virginia statehood, June 20 (also duplicating National Flag Week)
  5. Fathers Day, June 21
  6. New Hampshire statehood, June 21 (duplicating Fathers Day)
  7. Virginia statehood, June 25

Tip of the old scrub brush to Mike’s Blog Rounds at Crooks and Liars — thanks for the plug!

4 Comments | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History | Tagged: , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Memorial Day 2015 – Fly your flag today

May 25, 2015

U.S. flags flying at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, for Memorial Day 2015. Photo by Ed Darrell. Please use.

U.S. flags flying at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, for Memorial Day 2015. Photo by Ed Darrell. Please use.

Fly your flag today for Memorial Day.

On Memorial Day, flags should be flown at half-staff until noon, then raised to full staff (and retired at sunset).

Just a reminder: When posting a flag to half-staff, it should be raised with gusto to full staff, then slowly lowered to the half-staff position.  On Memorial Day, when changing the flag’s position at noon, simply raise the flag briskly to full staff.  At retirement, the flag should be lowered in a stately fashion.

U.S. flags flying at the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery, for Memorial Day 2015. You may use this photo.

U.S. flags flying at the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery, for Memorial Day 2015. You may use this photo.

Leave a Comment » | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History, Holidays | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Merchant mariners bring us the world; fly your flag for National Maritime Day, May 22

May 22, 2015

SS Savannah, first U.S. merchant steam ship to complete an Atlantic crossing, having set sail on May 22, 1819. gCaptain image

SS Savannah, first U.S. merchant steam ship to complete an Atlantic crossing, having set sail on May 22, 1819. gCaptain image

You’ve got your flag up already? Good.

Most people don’t even know about National Maritime Day, May 22 — let alone President Obama issued a proclamation to fly the U.S. flag in honor of merchant marines.

USS Slater Color Guard member Art Dott of Colonie carries the American flag Sunday during the presentation of the colors at the start of a National Maritime Day ceremony on the boat in Albany. Dott, a culinary specialist chief, is a 350year member of the Navy Reserve. ( Philip Kamrass / Times Union)

From the Albany, New York, Times-Union, 2011: USS Slater Color Guard member Art Dott of Colonie carries the American flag Sunday during the presentation of the colors at the start of a National Maritime Day ceremony on the boat in Albany. Dott, a culinary specialist chief, is a 35-year member of the Navy Reserve. ( Philip Kamrass / Times Union)

 

National Maritime Day is a United States holiday created to recognize the maritime industry. It is observed on May 22, the date in 1819 that the American steamship Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power. The holiday was created by the United States Congress on May 20, 1933.

President Obama’s proclamation:

Presidential Proclamation – National Maritime Day, 2015

NATIONAL MARITIME DAY, 2015

– – – – – – –

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

For over two centuries, proud mariners have set sail in defense of our people and in pursuit of opportunity.  Through periods of conflict and times of peace, our Nation has relied on the United States Merchant Marine to transport goods to and from our shores and deliver troops and supplies around the world.  On National Maritime Day, we honor the women and men who take to the seas to boost our economy and uphold the values we cherish.

Our Nation is forever indebted to the brave privateers who helped secure our independence, fearlessly supplying our Revolutionary forces with muskets and ammunition.  Throughout history, their legacy has been carried forward by courageous seafarers who have faithfully served our Nation as part of the United States Merchant Marine — bold individuals who emerged triumphant in the face of attacks from the British fleet in the War of 1812, and who empowered the Allied forces as they navigated perilous waters during World War II.  Today, patriots who share their spirit continue to stand ready to protect our seas and the livelihoods they support.

Ninety percent of the world’s commerce moves by sea, and businesses across our country rely on domestic and international trade every day.  Helping to protect our vital shipping routes, Merchant Mariners are critical to our effort to combat piracy and uphold the maritime security on which the global supply chain relies.  And in times of war or national emergency, they bolster our national security as a “fourth arm of defense.”  Whether transporting commercial goods or military equipment, battling tough weather or enemy fire, they strive and sacrifice to secure a brighter future for all Americans.  On this day, we reaffirm the importance of their contributions and salute all those who serve this noble cause.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 20, 1933, has designated May 22 of each year as “National Maritime Day,” and has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation calling for its appropriate observance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 22, 2015, as National Maritime Day.  I call upon the people of the United States to mark this observance and to display the flag of the United States at their homes and in their communities.  I also request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand fifteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth.

BARACK OBAMA

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Leave a Comment » | Business, Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, Freedom - Economic, History, oceans, Transportation | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Armed Forces Day 2015, May 16 – Fly your flag

May 15, 2015

Armed Forces Day poster for 2015

Armed Forces Day poster for 2015. Click on image to download high-quality, poster-quality files to print

Armed Forces Day is the third Saturday in May. This year it falls on May 16.

The U.S. Flag Code designates Armed Forces Day as one day for all Americans to fly their flags, in honor of those men and women presently serving in any of the Armed Forces.

Activities to honor active duty and active reserve forces occur in hundreds of communities across the nation.  Check your local papers.

And remember to fly your flag.

A bit of history, as we’ve noted earlier:  After President Truman’s administration brought the management of the armed forces under the umbrella of one agency, the Department of Defense, Truman moved also to unite what had been a separate day of honor for each of the branches of the military, into one week capped by one day for all uniformed defense services.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department — the Department of Defense. Each of the military leagues and orders was asked to drop sponsorship of its specific service day in order to celebrate the newly announced Armed Forces Day. The Army, Navy and Air Force leagues adopted the newly formed day. The Marine Corps League declined to drop support for Marine Corps Day but supports Armed Forces Day, too.

In a speech announcing the formation of the day, President Truman “praised the work of the military services at home and across the seas” and said, “it is vital to the security of the nation and to the establishment of a desirable peace.” In an excerpt from the Presidential Proclamation of Feb. 27, 1950, Mr. Truman stated:

Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 20, 1950, marks the first combined demonstration by America’s defense team of its progress, under the National Security Act, towards the goal of readiness for any eventuality. It is the first parade of preparedness by the unified forces of our land, sea, and air defense.

Celebrations like Armed Forces Day offer good opportunities to promote history. I suspect that the day’s coming always in the middle of May suppresses some of the teaching moment value, as teachers make a final push for end of course tests, finals, and in high schools, for graduation — and as many colleges are already out for the summer. Good materials are available that can be sprinkled throughout a course.

Photograph of President Truman and other digni...

President Truman and other dignitaries on the reviewing stand during an Armed Forces Day parade, (left… – NARA – 200222 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) (Is that Eisenhower on the left?) (Update: Yep! From Wikimedia: Left to right, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson, President Truman, Adm. William Leahy.

For example, this list of world-wide events at the first Armed Forces Day, in 1950, gives a good picture of four years into the Cold War, and would make a good warm-up exercise or even an entire lesson, or offer opportunities for projects:

The first Armed Forces Day came at a time of increased world tensions, political volatility and communist aggression. Some notable events that marked America’s first Armed Forces Week were as follows:

  • Bolivian police broke up “alleged” revolutionary communist-led general strike in LaPaz.
  • Two U. S. government buildings in Canton, China were taken over by the Chinese Communist Government. The buildings were U. S. property acquired prior to the Communist takeover.
  • The Burmese Army recaptured the city of Prome, a strategic communist-rebel stronghold.
  • Nicaraguans elect General Anastasio Somoza to a regular six-year term as president.
  • French and West German governments expected to talk shortly on the merger of the coal and steel industries of the two countries.
  • Communist China lifted the ban on daylight shipping along the Yangtze River due to the decline of Nationalist air activity.
  • Norway receives first US military aid in the form of two Dakota planes.
  • U. N. Secretary General Trygive Lie seeks West’s acceptance of Red China in the U. N.
  • Iran announced close range news broadcasts to the Soviet Union with $56,000 worth of Voice of America equipment.
  • Cuba celebrated the 48th anniversary of the establishment of its republic.
  • The Red Cross celebrated its 69th birthday.
  • Britain ended rationing of all foods except meats, butter, margarine, and cooking fat.
  • The U. S. Congress voted to extend the draft. “A Bill to extend registration and classification for the Draft until June 24, 1952 passed the House 216-11.”
  • The Allied Command announced it would “ease” the burden of occupation on Austria and would name civilian high commissioners to replace present military high commissioners.
  • Soviet authorities in Berlin withdrew travel passes of the U.S. and British military missions stationed at Potsdam in the Soviet zone of occupation.
  • The Soviets returned 23 East German industrial plants to East German authorities. The plants had been producing exclusively for the benefit of reparations to the USSR.
  • Twenty-eight Soviet vessels, consisting of tugs, trawlers, and supply ships remained in the English Channel as the Western Alliance prepared for air and naval maneuvers. Observers noted that many of them carried rollers at their sterns for trawling nets although no nets were visible.
  • Pravda denounced Armed Forces Day, calling it the militarization of the United States. “The hysterical speeches of the warmongers again show the timeliness of the appeal of the Permanent Committee of Peace Partisans that atomic weapons be forbidden.”
  • Western Powers renewed their promise to help Mid-Eastern states resist communism. They also announced an agreement to sell arms to Israel as well as to the Arabs.

Veterans Day honors veterans of wars, and those who served in the past; Memorial Day honors people who died defending the nation; Armed Forces Day honors those men and women serving today.  Service with two wars, in an “all volunteer” military, is a rough go, especially in times of federal budget cuts.  Say a good word about active duty military on Saturday, will you?

Armed Forces Day 1952, DOD Archives photo

A photo from Defense archives, of Armed Forces Day 1952 — also on May 17; DOD caption: QUOTING BENJAMIN FRANKLIN – Servicemen and women comprise this poster, which features cautionary words of Benjamin Franklin. (AFD-1952) [Franklin quote:  Let us beware of being lulled into a dangerous security, and of being weakened by internal contentions and divisions . . . of neglect in military exercises and discipline, and in providing stores of arms and munitions of war, for . . . the expenses required to prevent war are much lighter than those that will, if not prevented, be necessary to maintain it.  Benjamin Franklin, 1784.  Franklin’s words were in a letter to Charles Thomson, the Secretary of the 2nd Continental Congress, on May 13, 1784, written from his station in Passy, France.]

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Yes, this is mostly an encore post. Fighting ignorance requires patience.

Yes, this is mostly an encore post. Fighting ignorance requires patience.

4 Comments | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today, History, Holidays | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Flying the flag half-staff today, May 15, for Peace Officers Memorial Day

May 15, 2015

Flag at half-staff, in Provo, Utah.

Flag at half-staff, in Provo, Utah.

Today, May 15, is designated Peace Officers Memorial Day by a joint resolution of Congress and by Presidential Proclamation.

Fly flags today, at half-staff all day, if you can, to honor fallen peace officers.

Dry your flag tonight: tomorrow, May 16, is Armed Forces Day, another flag-flying date.

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Leave a Comment » | Flag etiquette, Fly your flag today | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

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