[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 96 (Thursday, June 14, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO FLAG DAY

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                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 14, 2007

  Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, on June 14, we will once again celebrate 
our National Flag, Old Glory itself. In West Virginia, we love our 
flag. We fly it with pride, and treat it with the reverence that such a 
flag, which thousands of brave West Virginians have fought and died to 
protect, deserves.
  We understand that the flag is not just a patchwork of fabric and 
embroidery. It is the very embodiment of our country's values, our 
freedom, our hopes, our dreams, and our pride. The Stars and Stripes 
are a sign of our nation's rich heritage. The thirteen stripes and the 
50 stars are the embodiment of America itself. The twinkle in each West 
Virginian's eye, and the blood and sweat from our hardworking men and 
women are represented in the red, white, and blue that hangs over our 
porches, flies proudly in our ballparks, and drapes the coffins of our 
fallen heroes.
  Harrowing events often serve to remind us of the importance of our 
flag. We can all recall the image of six brave soldiers raising the 
flag of the United States atop Mount Suribach during the Battle of Iwo 
Jima. And none of us will forget the tattered Stars and Stripes raised 
by three weary firemen over the remains of the World Trade Center to 
honor the thousands who perished on September 11th.
  The Stars and Stripes are more than just a sign of our heritage--they 
represent our hopes and dreams, and the pride of our nation. The flag 
was the inspiration for our Star Spangled Banner, and will always be 
the focal point when we recite our Pledge of Allegiance.
  For these reasons, and so many more, I have always fought for a 
Constitutional amendment to protect our flag from desecration. I 
believe one absolute truth of being a citizen of the United States of 
America is that our flag, the symbol of the sacrifices, which so many 
gave to preserve our freedom, must be protected from such abuse.
  Perhaps the nineteenth-century writer Henry Ward Beecher described it 
best: ``A thoughtful mind when it sees a nation's flag, sees not the 
flag but the Nation itself. He reads chiefly in the flag, the 
government, the principles, the truths, the history that belongs to the 
nation that sets it forth. The American flag has been the symbol of 
Liberty and men rejoiced in it.''
  May we all take heed to the wise words of Mr. Beecher as we fly the 
Stars and Stripes high and proud, not just today, but every day.

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