[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 99 (Thursday, June 14, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                FLAG DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 14, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today, we honor the most recognizable 
symbol of our democracy: the United States flag. On June 14, 1777, the 
Continental Congress officially established a flag for the fledgling 
nation, decreeing ``that the flag of the United States be thirteen 
stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, 
white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.''
  Throughout our nation's history, ``Old Glory'' has been an ever-
present emblem of America. It billowed in the wind outside of 
Independence Hall as the Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution. It 
inspired the young poet Francis Scott Key in Baltimore Harbor in 1814, 
who penned the words of our national anthem after watching Fort McHenry 
withstand a British siege. It traveled west with the Lewis and Clark 
expedition and eventually with the pioneers as America expanded from 
sea to shining sea. It was raised high above Mount Suribachi by the 
Marines on Iwo Jima during World War II. It has flown at the North 
Pole, at the summit of Mount Everest, and on the moon.
  Both in good times and in bad, the Star Spangled Banner has always 
yet waved for the American people. Olympic champions held the flag 
above their heads in triumph, and first-responders have comforted 
victims of tragedies in its shadow. Our students pledge their 
allegiance to it each morning, and soldiers and peace officers salute 
it as they lay their fallen comrades to rest. It continues to remind us 
of our past, present, and future, flying permanently over the village 
green of Lexington, Massachusetts, the White House, and all United 
States customs ports of entry.
  Above all, the flag is an embodiment of our identity. Today, the 
fifty stars in the sea of blue are a visual reminder of our national 
motto: e pluribus unum. Out of many states came one united nation, and 
fifty stars, thirteen stripes, and a sea of blue together form a vital 
component of our one national flag.
  Mr. Speaker, all Americans should cherish and respect the flag. Old 
Glory honors the sacrifice of American men and women who died for the 
country, guides us to make tough decisions today, and inspires future 
generations to dream big. Thus, the Stars and Stripes will forever 
proudly fly over the land of the free and the home of the brave.
  And that is just the way it is.

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