Flag Day was always a big deal around our house. Dad would get the flag down from the attic where it had been carefully folded and stored in a cedar chest and we'd all go outside to watch him run it up the (somewhat rickety) flag pole he'd planted in our front yard.
This year, we celebrate the 100th birthday of the holiday. President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation that officially established June 14 as Flag Day in 1916 and America has been celebrating ever since.
If you're planning to join the celebration, here are a five important rules my dad taught us about handling and flying The Stars and Stripes respectfully:
- Fly the flag from sunrise to sunset, always raising and lowering it with great reverence and ceremony.
- Don't fly the flag in bad weather, like rain or high wind.
- Never let the flag touch the ground.
- Always store your flag folded properly.
- When your flag wears out, you must burn or bury it. (Don't throw it in the trash!) Better yet, take it to your local Boy Scouts. They perform a special flag retiring ceremonies all the time and the public is welcome to bring their flags and observe the ceremony.
Flag Day was celebrated long before it became official by Wilson's proclamation. In 1914 the Secretary of the Interior, Franklin K. Lane spoke gave one of the most eloquent Flag Day addresses in history. He repeated words he claimed the flag had 'spoken' to him early that morning: "I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself."
Happy Flag Day.
