Freeper Canteen ~ Flag Day ~ June 14, 2004

Canteen Crew

[StarCMC]

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		Flag Day June 14, 2004
	I am the flag of the United States of America I was born on June 14, 1777, in Philadelphia. There the Continental Congress adopted my stars and stripes as the national flag. My thirteen stripes alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue, represented a new constellation, a new nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind. Today fifty stars signal from my union, one for each of the fifty sovereign states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever known. My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens of my country. My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters. My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for all. My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith. I represent these eternal principles: liberty, justice, and humanity. I embody American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home. I typify that indomitable spirit of determination brought to my land by Christopher Columbus and by all my forefathers - the Pilgrims, Puritans, settlers at James town and Plymouth. I am as old as my nation. I am a living symbol of my nation's law: the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. I voice Abraham Lincoln's philosophy: "A government of the people, by the people,for the people." I stand guard over my nation's schools, the seedbed of good citizenship and true patriotism. I am displayed in every schoolroom throughout my nation; every schoolyard has a flag pole for my display. Daily thousands upon thousands of boys and girls pledge their allegiance to me and my country. I have my own law—Public Law 829, "The Flag Code" - which definitely states my correct use and display for all occasions and situations. I have my special day, Flag Day. June 14 is set aside to honor my birth. Americans, I am the sacred emblem of your country. I symbolize your birthright, your heritage of liberty purchased with blood and sorrow. I am your title deed of freedom, which is yours to enjoy and hold in trust for posterity. If you fail to keep this sacred trust inviolate, if I am nullified and destroyed, you and your children will become slaves to dictators and despots. Eternal vigilance is your price of freedom. As you see me silhouetted against the peaceful skies of my country, remind yourself that I am the flag of your country, that I stand for what you are - no more, no less. Guard me well, lest your freedom perish from the earth. Dedicate your lives to those principles for which I stand: "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." I was created in freedom. I made my first appearance in a battle for human liberty. God grant that I may spend eternity in my "land of the free and the home of the brave" and that I shall ever be known as "Old Glory," the flag of the United States of America. Click the pics for music - mouse over for titles!                     History of Flag Day The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'. On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day. Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as 'Flag Day', and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag. Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered. In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating. Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary if the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him 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." Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day. To learn about Flag Etiquette, click the Flag.     Flag Folding   As an Army and Navy custom, the flag is lowered daily at the last note of retreat. Special care should be taken that no part of the flag touches the ground. The Flag is then carefully folded into the shape of a tri-cornered hat, emblematic of the hats worn by colonial soldiers during the war for Independence. In the folding, the red and white stripes are finally wrapped into the blue, as the light of day vanishes into the darkness of night. This custom of special folding is reserved for the United States Flag alone.   How to fold the Flag Step 1 To properly fold the Flag, begin by holding it waist-high with another person so that its surface is parallel to the ground.   Step 2 Fold the lower half of the stripe section lengthwise over the field of stars, holding the bottom and top edges securely.   Step 3 Fold the flag again lengthwise with the blue field on the outside.   Step 4 Make a triangular fold by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to meet the open (top) edge of the flag. Step 5 Turn the outer (end) point inward, parallel to the open edge, to form a second triangle.   Step 6 The triangular folding is continued until the entire length of the flag is folded in this manner.   Step 7 When the flag is completely folded, only a triangular blue field of stars should be visible.       Flag Trivia Q. Who cut the American flag into pieces and was honored for doing it? A. Robert Peary, who left pieces of the flag scattered at the North Pole. Q. Is it ever appropriate to fly the flag upside down? A. Yes, but only in an emergency. It means "Help Me, I am in Trouble!" Q. What is done with worn or outdated flags? A. Flags are used until they are worn out and then they are destroyed, preferably by burning. Q. Francis Scott Key wrote the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the back on an envelope. What is the source of the music for it? A. The music is from an old English drinking song called "To Anacreon in Heaven." Q. The American flag first flew over a foreign fort in what country? A. Libya -- over Fort Derne, on the shores of Tripoli. Q. A vexillologist is an expert in what? A. The history of flags. Q. "Shipwreck" Kelly (1885-1952) was famous for sitting for long periods of time. What did he have to do with flags? A. He set many flagpole-sitting records. He sat for 49 days on one flagpole. He once estimated that he spent a total of over 20,000 hours sitting on flagpoles. Flagpole sitting was a craze started in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1929.       Click the pics for music - mouse over for titles!

[Lady Jag]

Give blackie my best and tell the cheese bike is almost done and it sounds like he and it are winding up at about the same time.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Ms Pooh....hope you are having a good day at work.
Just in case you are peeking into the Canteen...........

[Lady Jag]

Lava from the Kilauea volcano in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, pours into the Pacific Ocean early Saturday, June 12, 2004. The lava is entering the Pacific from several points along the Wilipe'a delta, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Lava reached the ocean for the first time in nearly a year on May 30. Lava from the Kilauea eruption, which began Jan. 3, 1983, has created more than 500 acres of new land along the Puna coastline. (AP Photo/David Jordan)

[Kathy in Alaska]

CLASS OF '04 — The first graduates of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Professional Leadership Development Course wait to receive their certificates of completion at Forward Operating Base Danger in Tikrit, Iraq, June 10, 2004. U.S. Army Drill Sergeants trained the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Army Spc. Algernon E. Crawley Jr.

1st Infantry Division Graduates Iraqi Leadership Class

TIKRIT, Iraq, June 14, 2004 — Members of the 1st Infantry Division, local dignitaries and other guests were on hand June 10, 2004, for an Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Primary Leadership Development Course graduation ceremony, according to 1st Infantry Division officials.

The class was the first to graduate from the newly opened North Central Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Regional Training Center at Forward Operating Base Danger. After the graduation, the facility was dedicated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The new facility will also host basic training for Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers.

Maj. Gen. John R.S. Batiste, commander of the 1st Infantry Division and Task Force Danger, and Brig. Gen. Abdul Kadar, deputy chief of staff of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, were guest speakers at the event. During his remarks, Batiste congratulated the graduates and thanked them for their service.

“The road to a peaceful and secure Iraq may take some time, but your commitment to law and order and to peace and freedom will make a significant difference in our journey towards this goal,” Batiste said to the graduates.

The rest of the story

[Kathy in Alaska]

Waterbabies really works. They tell you to go outside if it bothers you to hear your baby cry. But I thought the crying was more for the stanger than the water. The VERY BEST thing they taught my niece, at that tiny age, was to flip on her back to float and rest. It was a sight to behold to see a little one be paddling along and suddenly flip onto her back and just rest.

[Kathy in Alaska]

I'm a Veteran

Very nice, Tonkin, well said.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Farewell Mr. President

6/14/2004 - ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. -- Thousands of well-wishers watch as a VC-25 takes off from the flightline here with former President Ronald Reagan's casket onboard following his state funeral service at the National Cathedral in Washington on June 11. President Reagan was flown to the Nation's Capitol on June 9 following his death June 5. President Reagan's remains were flown to Simi Valley, Calif., for a private sunset burial. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jim Varhegyi)

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Kathy in Alaska]

Smooth...Ray Charles. Thanks, ms feather.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

OVER ALASKA -- An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 18th Fighter Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, flies in formation with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Air National Guard's 108th Air Refueling Squadron at Scott AFB, Ill., June 11 during Northern Edge '04. The exercise is Alaska Command's joint training exercise designed to enhance interoperability among the services. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Strang)

OVER ALASKA -- An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 18th Fighter Squadron at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker from the Air National Guard's 108th Air Refueling Squadron at Scott AFB, Ill., June 11 during Northern Edge '04. The exercise is Alaska Command's joint training exercise designed to enhance interoperability among the services. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Strang)

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

040611-N-1450G-046 Simi Valley, Calif. (Jun. 11, 2004) - Commanding Officer, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), Capt. James A. Symonds, presents former President Ronald Reagan's casket flag to former First Lady Nancy Reagan during internment services held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. The flag was flown at former President Ronald Reagan's inauguration. The observance concluded the weeklong state funeral services for Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the United States who passed away on June 5, 2004. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Jon D. Gesch (RELEASED)

040611-N-6213R-038 Gulf of Alaska (Jun. 11, 2004) - On the flight deck aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), sailors perform a 21-gun salute in honor of former President Ronald Reagan on the day of his final internment at the Reagan Presidential Library, in Simi Valley, Calif. Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. President of the United States, passed away recently after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. Stennis and embarked Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14) are at sea participating in Exercise Northern Edge, part of a scheduled deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Mark J. Rebilas (RELEASED)

040611-N-8209D-045 San Diego, Calif. (Jun. 11, 2004) - As the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) returns from a routine underway period, Sailors assigned to Naval Air Station North Island Weapons Department take part in a 21-gun salute in memory of former President Ronald Reagan during the National Day of Mourning for the late President. The Sailors, who synchronized their volleys with those of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), fired one round every minute for 21 minutes beginning at noon. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class John DeCoursey (RELEASED)

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

040608-N-1281L-045 South Atlantic Ocean (Jun. 8, 2004) - An A-4 Skyhawk embarked on the Brazilian aircraft carrier BNS Sao Paulo (A12) performs a touch and go landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). The U.S. Navy's newest Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and its crew are underway circumnavigating South America as they make their way to their new homeport San Diego, Calif., while participating in exercises supporting Summer Pulse 2004. Summer Pulse 2004 is the simultaneous deployment of seven aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs), demonstrating the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat power across the globe, in five theaters with other U.S., allied, and coalition military forces. Summer Pulse is the Navy first deployment under its new Fleet Readiness Plan (FRP). U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class John S. Lill (RELEASED) For more information go to: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/2004/nr20040602-0856.html

040611-N-7263H-003 Atlantic Ocean (June 11, 2004) - An EA-6B Prowler assigned the "Rooks" of Electronic Attack Squadron One Three Seven (VAQ-137) is refueled by an S-3B Viking assigned to the "Maulers" of Sea Control Squadron Three Two (VS-32) during an air power demonstration above the USS Enterprise (CVN 65). Enterprise is one of seven carriers involved in Summer Pulse 2004. Summer Pulse 2004 is the simultaneous deployment of seven aircraft carrier strike groups (CSGs), demonstrating the ability of the Navy to provide credible combat power across the globe, in five theatres with other U.S., allied, and coalition military forces. Summer Pulse is the Navy's first deployment under its new Fleet Readiness Plan (FRP). U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class William F Howell (RELEASED)

040614-O-0000X-004 Washington, D.C. (Jun 14, 2004) – File photo of the Boeing 737-MMA cockpit - The Department of Defense announced today that McDonnell Douglas Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Boeing Company, has been awarded the contract to develop the U.S. Navy’s Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA). Built on a modified Boeing 737-800ERX, the 737-MMA will bringing together a highly reliable airframe and high-bypass turbo fan jet engine with a fully connected, state-of-the-art open architecture mission system. This combination, coupled with next-generation sensors, will dramatically improve Anti-Submarine Warfare, or ASW, and Anti-Surface Warfare, or ASuW, capabilities. 737-MMA will ultimately replace the U.S. Navy’s aging fleet of P-3C Orion Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance aircraft. Photo provided to the U.S. Navy courtesy Boeing (RELEASED) For more information go to: http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/aircraft/air-mma.html

[Kathy in Alaska]

Beep Beep

[TexasCowboy]

Thanks for the update on blackie, Kat.

Blackie, get yoself back here!
We miss you!

"First things first."
"One day at a time."
And most importantly:

"KEEP IT SIMPLE, SIR!"

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Chieftain, for sharing this most important yearly tradition on Flag Day. And thanks for your service to America.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

run-a-muck and momma cat just came in
sylvester has been gone since this mornings breakfast
he must be on mouse patrol
*HUG*

[Kathy in Alaska]

Sheb Wooley

[Kathy in Alaska]

Teenage wetland: A backyard gym makes a pretty good diving platform for two boys in the flooded Pelican Bay area of Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas.

[Kathy in Alaska]

U.S. Army Spc. Kenneth O'Kelley, 841st Adjutant General Compan., sorts outgoing mail at the post office. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Chris Stump

Bagram Post Office Keeps Mail Coming, Going

By U.S. Army Pfc. Chris Stump
17th Public Affairs Detachment

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, June 14, 2004 — Keeping mail flowing smoothly into and out of a combat zone is no easy task - but soldiers at the Bagram Post Office are working tirelessly to make that happen.

Soldiers assigned to the 841st Adjutant General Company, U.S. Army Reserve from Tulsa, Okla., recently took charge of the Bagram facility and several others in Afghanistan. The company has platoons at the post offices in Karshi-Kahanabad, Uzbekistan and Kandahar - with plans to open another office in Salerno this month, said Sgt. 1st Class Randy LeClair, Bagram Post Office postmaster.

LeClair, who is also a postmaster for the U.S. Postal Service, manages the military post office the same way that he does his post office back home, he said. There are virtually no differences in the way mail operations are run between military and civilian offices.

“We have everything a U.S. Post Office has,” said LeClair. “We send priority mail, we insure mail and provide all the same customer services that our civilian counterparts do.”

Providing all those services to troops is often hard work - especially for an office that processes 66 percent of all military mail in Afghanistan, he said.

The Bagram facility receives 30 to 40 pallets of mail a week, added LeClair. Everything from letters to boxes arrives via aircraft into Bagram.

The rest of the story

[HopeandGlory]

Oh Boy!!! . . . Nancy sure does look like my Mama did in this picture . . . sigh!!!