Flag Day, Westminster, CO

Today the Westminster, Colorado Elks Lodge held a ceremony in recognition of Flag Day. It made me think about the reasons we have a flag and what the flag means to me. I don’t know about you, but there are certain things about the flag and the ceremonies that are held around it that really move me. I’ve never considered myself a particularly patriotic individual, but when the pledge of allegiance is said I feel so proud to be an American. When we sing the national anthem, I get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. When I’m in a crowd of Americans and other citizens and our anthem is sung or the flag is saluted I want to loudly (and proudly) proclaim that “I AM GLAD THAT I AM AN AMERICAN”! Since we’ve had so much discussion in the news the last few years about including or not including “God” in so many things, during those particular parts of the pledge I want to LOUDLY proclaim “ONE NATION UNDER GOD” as well!

When I decided I wanted to Blog about today, I found some interesting facts (online) about our pledge of allegiance…

- The pledge was first given national publicity on Columbus Day in October 1892
- Who wrote the pledge? Both families of Francis Bellamy and James Upham claim authorship and both families held evidence to substantiate their claim
- In 1939 a committee was formed to determine who authored the pledge and it was unanimously decided in favor of Francis Bellamy
- The pledge has been modified three times. The original version was:
I pledge allegiance to my Flag,
and (to*) the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.
- On June 14, 1923 it was modified to:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.
- In 1924 it was modified to:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.
- On Flag Day, June 14, 1954 President Eisenhower approved adding the words “under God”. As he authorized this change he said: “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”
- This was the last change made to the Pledge of Allegiance. The 23 words that had been initially penned for a Columbus Day celebration now comprised a 31 word profession of loyalty and devotion to not only a flag, but to a way of life....the American ideal. Those words now read:

“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.”

Along with our flag and the national anthem there are some country and patriotic songs about our freedoms and rights that mean a lot to me as well. Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” ALWAYS moves me to tears! Some of my other favorites are:

- America the Beautiful – Katharine Lee Bates
- Courtesy of the Red White & Blue – Toby Keith
- Have You Forgotten – Darryl Worley
- Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (Angry American) – Toby Keith
- Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagles Fly – Aaron Tippin

I wanted to also include the words to our national anthem:

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?