[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 97 (Wednesday, June 14, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H5980-H5981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         COMMEMORATING FLAG DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Kingston] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Michigan may want to 
complete that thought. I do not want to cut him off. It sounds like he 
got where he was going with that.
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. If the gentleman will yield, no, I want to 
talk about some significance and open the discussion today, Flag Day, 
and the American flag.
  I had a brother that was a jet pilot, killed in 1957. I am old enough 
that I went through World War II, and the American flag is more than a 
symbol. It is what many Americans really out there on the front lines 
fought for and died for.
  So I look forward to the gentleman's comments on Flag Day.
  Mr. KINGSTON. It is interesting, I went to the Savannah Scottish Rite 
Flag Day ceremony this week, in Savannah, and we talked about the 
Bennington flag and the Grand Union flag that preceded our first 
national flag on June 14, 1777.
  That flag has meant so much to different people, but our favorite 
flag story is the one about Francis Scott Key.
  One of the things we always know is he was on a British ship, but we 
do not know what he was doing there. He was not a captive. His friend 
was a captive. He went to the British ship voluntarily on behalf of his 
friend and petitioned the officer in charge to release his friend, who 
was a doctor, for humanitarian purposes. He said, ``This gentleman is a 
doctor. He needs to come and tend to the sick and the wounded just as 
your British doctors do.'' And the British officer in charge was so 
taken back by his bravery in risking his own life in coming out there, 
and, you see, there were actually two of them totally. He said, ``I 
will tell you what, I will let all three of you guys go in the morning. 
We are attacking Fort McHenry through the night.'' They were, frankly, 
very confident they could win and capture Fort McHenry.
  What happened, of course, is Francis Scott Key and his friends were 
sitting on the ship, bow of the ship, standing there captives, watching 
through the night, trying to figure out what would happen, and then at 
the dawn's early light they were able to determine, of course, by the 
sign, the American flag still standing or still flying, that the 
British were, in fact, not successful in taking Fort McHenry.
  He started writing the poem, which became the national anthem, on his 
way back, because the British officer kept his word, let him go, 
starting writing the poem, finished it later. It took about 130 years 
for Congress to declare that the national anthem. You compare that to 
how quickly the Senate works these days, and we would still probably 
not have a national anthem.
  You know, the American flag does two things. It is a warm and fuzzy 
emotion when you see it. You know, you [[Page H5981]] think about home. 
You think about mom and dad, your parents, your family. You think about 
goodness.
  But then aside from that emotion, you think idealistically, like your 
brother. You think about the sacrifices. You think about the bravery 
and the freedom that men and women, generation after generation, have 
put forth to defend this great land of ours, and it is proper the U.S. 
Congress would take a moment today and say the Pledge of Allegiance one 
more time towards the end of the afternoon just so we can reaffirm 
that, and it is also proper that we recognize Flag Day on a bipartisan 
basis, because every now than and then we do get out of focus. We do 
start pounding one body or one party or one philosophy. We should 
always come back to that flag. That symbol of freedom is why we are 
here.
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. I think your point is so important and so 
good.
  We do have the greatest Nation on Earth, and we get in our little 
squabbles, and we look for ways to try to improve it. Both sides of the 
aisle, Republicans and Democrats, feel very strongly that they want to 
make the best future possible for the kids. Sometimes we have a 
difference in philosophy on how to get there, but we have a great 
country, and the flag of the United States of America is something we 
all feel very closely to.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. KINGSTON. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE. I appreciate the gentleman yielding.
  I thank you so very much for the entree to make this bipartisan 
salute, and because it is Flag Day, I think it is more than appropriate 
to simply say how special it is, as many of our young children begin 
kindergarten, sometimes earlier, they learn for the first time, ``I 
pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,'' and 
how special it is for them to come and share with their family members 
that they know the words.
  So it is appropriate that we make this a bipartisan salute.
  I thank the gentleman for raising it. I think it is most appropriate 
that we do so in the U.S. Congress because the American people look to 
us to lead and to emphasize the high ground. So I congratulate you, 
but, more importantly, I congratulate the American people and salute 
the flag of United States of America.
  Mr. KINGSTON. It is fitting we do that. I am a native of Texas, and 
as you know, Texas has a very rich history in that Texas was one of the 
States that was actually a country at one time, and one of the great 
chapters of Texas history was the Battle of the Alamo and the great cry 
for the men who were being surrounded by Santa Ana's troops at the 
Alamo was for Americans to come rescue them, which, when Sam Houston's 
folks did come, many, many American soldiers had volunteered for that 
cause of Texas freedom and sovereignty.
  There, again, the good old American flag pulls through.

                              {time}  1945

  Mr. Speaker, it always has represented the hope, the glory, the 
promise and the freedom.


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