[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10558]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                FLAG DAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, today I commemorate the 233rd Flag Day 
in the United States. On June 14, 1777, nearly a year after our Nation 
declared its independence, the Second Continental Congress approved the 
design of our national flag. The 13 stripes that alternate red and 
white and the white stars on a field of blue have proudly stood as a 
beacon of liberty and justice around the world ever since.
  Flag Day--the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777--was 
officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson 
in 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years 
after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until 1949 that President 
Truman signed an act of Congress designating June 14 of each year as 
National Flag Day and the corresponding week as National Flag Week.
  My home State of Maryland plays an integral role in the rich history 
of our flag. The flag was the source of inspiration for Francis Scott 
Key's ``Star Spangled Banner'' which became our national anthem. That 
most famous of American flags flew over Fort McHenry in Baltimore 
Harbor. It bravely withstood the torrent of British buckshot and still 
hangs today in the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Each year 
the National Flag Day Foundation of Baltimore, MD, sponsors a moving 
ceremony at the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine 
which brings our community together in celebration and remembrance of 
our glorious past.
  America's flag graces classrooms, statehouses, courtrooms, and 
churches, serving as a daily reminder of this Nation's past 
accomplishments and ongoing dedication to safeguarding individual 
rights. The brave members of our Armed Forces carry ``Old Glory'' with 
them as they fulfill their mission to defend the blessings of democracy 
and peace across the globe; our banner flies from public buildings as a 
sign of our national community; and its folds drape the tombs of our 
distinguished dead. The flag is a badge of honor to all and a sign of 
our citizens' common purpose.
  This week and throughout the year let us do all we can to teach 
younger generations the significance of our flag. Its 13 red and white 
stripes represent not only the original colonies but also the courage 
and purity of our Nation, while its 50 stars stand for the separate but 
United States of our Union. Let us pledge allegiance to this flag to 
declare our patriotism and raise its colors high to express our pride 
and respect for the American way of life.

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