From the Sierra Vista Herald -—
Our View: A good day to be a patriot
It will be hard not to feel patriotic Tuesday when Southeast Arizona joins the rest of our nation in celebration of two significant events.
The United States Army will celebrate its birthday and America will remember a symbol of our freedom on Flag Day.
Established 236 years ago, the Army remains the preeminent fighting force in all the world.
Formed one year before the organization of these United States, the Army had its humble beginnings in the Revolutionary War and was called, at the time, the Continental Army.
Including the National Guard and the Reserve, America’s Army is composed of more than 1.1 million soldiers, serving all over the world.
Since its inception, our “boots on the ground” fighting force has been charged with a vital mission: to defend this nation, our freedoms, and our way of life.
Beyond the point of that spear, are new roles and realities for our men and women in uniform. The Army has become part of an effort by this nation to police unrest in foreign countries divided by civil strife; the Army now actively assists private contractors in “nation-building” efforts in destitute lands where women and children are often the victims of intolerant cultures and society; and most recently, the Army serves an active role in assisting other federal agencies in protecting our nation’s borders.
Throughout its history, our Army has had to learn how to adapt, how to improve and change with the times.
It is now an organization that battles in cyberspace, actively recruits the talents of women, and openly accepts soldiers regardless of their sexual orientation.
A true contrast from its origin, when the primary organizers of the Continental Army were castoffs from the British, French and Prussian armies.
We want to wish our brothers and sisters in the United States Army a happy birthday, and call for this organization to stand tall for another quarter century, on to infinity.
The teachings and values of this organization have shaped our society, and judging from that success, our Army is nothing less than a national treasure of the highest order.
Which brings us to the symbol of everything the United States Army has sacrificed and served to achieve.
Tuesday, June 14, is also Flag Day in America.
The U.S. flag is 234 years old this year, established under the first Flag Act in 1777. The origins of its design and manufacture are much debated, but it is perfectly clear the earliest members of Congress knew the importance of a national banner.
The colors were taken from the British flag but ordered into a “new Constellation” to symbolize a new nation and new concept of governance. The flag is no more or less than that, a symbol to draw the focus of both reverence and vilification. It is why Old Glory flies higher than any other flag on U.S. soil and why it is the first target of those who hate this country.
We declared our own independence and created our own flag long before being officially “recognized” as a sovereign nation in the Treaty of Paris. That kind of self-determination is exactly what our national banner symbolized from the start.
I need to subscribe to the Herald!
So glad your cleared for work Sandy & hope your feeling 100%.
Please take good care of you cuz you scared us real good!!!!!!!!!!
So - can you see the flames on the mountains?
I can...
It’s a shame how much of Ash and Stump canyons has burned, not to mention the Coronado National Monument area.