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Story
of the Old Glory (American Flag)
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The
Pledge of Allegiance:
I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Written
in 1892, this pledge is recited in schools before classes
begin and it serves as a sign of unity and identity for the
various groups of people who have come from so many different
lands and cultures. The pledge begins, "I pledge allegiance
to the flag of the United States of America." Even the immigrants
who come from distant lands must recite this pledge to the
flag when they become eligible for citizenship. - USFlag.org
US
Flag Facts
Evolution
of the United States Flag: No one knows with absolute certainty
who designed the first stars and stripes or who made it. Congressman
Francis Hopkinson seems most likely to have designed it, and
few historians believe that Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress,
made the first one. Read
More
Flag of
the United States, popularly called the American flag, consists
of 13 horizontal stripes, 7 red alternating with 6 white,
and in the upper corner near the staff, a rectangular blue
field, or canton, containing 50 five-pointed white stars.
The stripes symbolize the 13 colonies that originally constituted
the United States of America. The stars represent the present
50 states of the Union.
The 50
stars design is w.e.f July 4, 1960, as Hawaii became 50th
state on August 21, 1959.
The American
Flag has a name: "Old Glory". Other nicknames are
"Star-Spangled Banner", "Stars And Strips"
and "Red-White-Blue".
Significance
of the colors
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The
color red represents valor, fervency and zeal.
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The
color white is for hope, purity, rectitude and cleanliness
of life.
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The
color blue is for heaven, reverence to God, justice and
truth.
June 14
is now observed as Flag Day throughout the United States.
On Memorial
Day, the flag should be hung at half-mast until noon, when
it should be raised to the top of the staff.
Post Sept
11th 2001, we are seeing the flag more often and at every
conceivable place. Believe it or not, my using Discover credit
card which is having the US flag design, brought a glow on
people's face during the troubled-times we Indians faced in
some parts of the US. I was at Maryland at that time and not
much trouble there.
Why
is the US flag painted backward on Aircraft & Space shuttles?
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Normally, the stars are
located on the upper left portion of the American flag,
but it is not uncommon to see aircraft where the stars
(also known as the canton) are on the upper right, especially
on aircraft's right side and space shuttle. But why
so?
Proper display of the
flag in motion emanates from a single principle. The
flag always 'flies forward'. i.e, the canton (stars)
on the flag is oriented towards the front of the moving
object as though it were being carried on a staff and
moving in a forward direction.
The custom is to display
the American flags on the both sides of a plane, usually
on the vertical stabilizer in the back of the aircraft.
If you happen to be looking
at the left side of the aircraft (the left side from
the passenger's point of view) the stars will be on
the left (or normal position);
If you walk around to
the right side of the aircraft, the canton will be on
your right!
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Should I fly my flag at half-staff today?
When to half-staff the flag:
- May 15 — Peace Officers Memorial Day: half-staff
from sunrise to sunset
- Last Monday in May — Memorial Day: the flag should
be displayed at half-staff until noon
- September 11 — Patriot Day: half-staff from sunrise
to sunset
- December 7 — National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day:
half-staff from sunrise to sunset
- Upon reliable information that a past or present President,
Vice-President, Chief Justice, or Speaker of the House has
died
- Upon proclamation from the President or your state's governor.
Check if the President
has issued a proclamation to half-staff the flag.
Links of Interest:
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