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Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the Flag of the United States on June 14, 1777. Although the design of our flag has changed many times over the past 246 years, the values it represents have not.
To me, the American flag has been a constant reminder of liberty and freedom throughout the world. I remember standing on the flight deck of the USS Belleau Wood in October 1994, and as we entered the port of Manila, with our iconic stars and stripes waving in the wind, boaters and onlookers cheered! Our flag was a reminder that although the United States had given up its bases in the Philippines, we were still present to protect them from regional threats.
Later, while posted at the US Embassy in Minsk, Belarus, I saw that our flag was again a beacon of hope for the many who lined up every day, seeking visas to visit or relocate to the United States, in search of opportunities and freedoms that were not available to them under authoritarian regimes.
Our flag also represents Home. Each time I return from an overseas work trip, I look up at our beautiful flag, flying high at Dulles airport, and it signifies to me that I’m home…safe…free. It’s not the airport, or the immigration lines, not the baggage claim, or the Starbucks in the Arrivals Hall, it’s that flag atop the tall pole outside the airport that finally reminds me of where I am.
The flag means many things to many people. Recently, we’ve seen attempts to diminish our flag’s prominence. This past weekend at the White House comes to mind, when the American flag was moved from its normal place of honor and instead hung on either side of an LGBTQ Pride flag. Whether by design or complacency, these examples of inappropriateness by the Biden Administration, and those seeking to undermine the significance of our flag and what she represents, must be called out and corrected by Americans who respect and revere our flag.
Yes, some may argue that a flag is merely a piece of cloth. However, to our veterans who have fought for, served under, represented, and sacrificed so much, and to immigrants from across the globe who risk everything just to live here, it still represents the American dream.
Even though Flag Day is commemorated on June 14th, let’s make it a practice to celebrate Flag Day, EVERY DAY!
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