On June 14, we pause to salute and pay respects to the Flag of the United States of America. It was on that date in 1977 that the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution to adopt the flag, at the same time that it created "the American Continental Army."
For Americans, the "Stars and Stripes" have become the symbol of all that is good about the country we love and call home. The country that has provided us with the freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -- Those very freedoms that have been won and protected with the blood of America's sons and daughters on the battlefields of our enemies, foreign and domestic. For those of us who were willing to fight and die for it, we share a special reverence and sense of patriotism whenever and wherever we see the American Flag fly.
It is to the flag that we pledge our allegiance, but have you really ever considered the words that we recite, just as we were taught to memorize so many years ago?
- "I pledge allegiance to the flag" - Whose stripes symbolize the original 13 Colonies.
- "Of the United States of America" - Symbolized by the 50 Stars on a field of blue..
- "And to the Republic for which it stands." - Where the power is in the hands of its citizens."
- "One Nation, under God" - Where each has the freedom to worship their own God.
- "Indivisible" - Where we stand together for our ideals, inseparable.
- "With Liberty and Justice for All" - regardless of race, creed, or color.
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