Note...The following memorial to the Flag was sent to me by a very good friend, Boyd Fallwell, from Oklahoma City Oklahoma and is well worth repeating on these pages.
If anyone is interesting in getting in touch with Mr. Fallwell his address is located at the bottom of this page.
Each and every year, June 14th marks the birthday of the U.S. Flag. In 1777, the Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes pattern for the national flag. This would follow almost one year after the Declaration of Independence and more than a decade before the U.S. Constitution was finalized. On June 14, 1777, in order to establish an official flag for the new nation, the Continental Congress passed the first Flag Act: "Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation." Stripes and stars were added for each state till the number reached 20.
Too many
thin stripes did not look to good so they went back to 13 stripes.
Act of April 4, 1818 - provided for the original13 stripes and one star
for each state, to be added to the flag on the 4th of July following the
admission of each new state, it was signed by President Monroe.
Executive Order of President Taft dated June 24, 1912 - established
proportions of the flag and provided for arrangement of the stars in six
horizontal rows of eight each, a single point of each star to be upward.
That 48 star flag lasted thru WW-I , WW-II and the Korean War, until
1959. After Alaska was added to the union Executive Order of President
Eisenhower dated January 3, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the
49 stars in seven rows of seven stars each, staggered horizontally and
vertically. That didnt last long as Hawaii was soon added to the union.
Order of President Eisenhower dated August 21, 1959 - provided for the arrangement of the 50 stars in nine rows of stars staggered horizontally and eleven rows of stars staggered vertically. So July 4th 1960 our present 50 star Flag came into being!
I am the flag of the United States of America. I was born on June 14,
1777, in Philadelphia. There the Continental Congress adopted my stars and stripes as the national flag. My thirteen stripes alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue, represented a new constellation, a new nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind. Today fifty stars signal from my union, one for each of the fifty sovereign states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever known.
My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens
of my country. My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and
integrity of American men and women and the self-sacrifice and devotion
of American mothers, sons and daughters. My white stripes stand for liberty
and equality for all. My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.
I represent these eternal principles: liberty, justice, and humanity. I
embody American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the
press, and the sanctity of the home. I typify that spirit of
determination brought to my land by all my forefathers - the Pilgrims,
Puritans, settlers at Jamestown and Plymouth. I am as old as my nation.
I am a living symbol of my nation's law: the Constitution of the United
States and the Bill of Rights. I voice Abraham Lincoln's philosophy: "A
government of the people, by the people, for the people." I stand guard
over my nation's schools and churches, the seedbed of good citizenship
and true patriotism.
I have my special day, Flag Day. June 14 is set aside to honor my birth.
Americans, I am the sacred emblem of your country.
Eternal vigilance is your price of freedom. As you see me silhouetted against
the peaceful skies of my country, remind yourself that I am the flag of
your country, that I stand for what you are - no more, no less. Guard me
well, lest your freedom perish from the earth.
I am displayed in every schoolroom throughout my
nation; every schoolyard has a flag pole for my display. Daily thousands
upon thousands of boys and girls pledge their allegiance to me and my
country. I have my own law-Public Law 829, "The Flag Code" - which
definitely states my correct use and display for all occasions and
situations.
I symbolize your birthright, your heritage of liberty purchased with
blood and sorrow. I am your title deed of freedom, which is yours to enjoy and hold in trust for posterity. If you fail to keep this sacred trust inviolate, if I am nullified and destroyed, you and your children will become slaves to dictators and evil people.
Dedicate your lives to those principles for which I stand: "One nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." I
was created in freedom. I made my first appearance in a battle for human
liberty. God grant that I may spend eternity in my "land of the free and
the home of the brave" and that I shall ever be known as "Old Glory,"
the flag of the United States of America.
"I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the people by the people, for the people, whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; (which is "We the People") a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principals of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my Country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies."
We have had Flag Day for many years but it was not official until August
3rd, 1949, President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day. -- By a joint Resolution on June 9, 1966, the Congress also requested the President to issue annually a proclamation
designating the week in which June 14 occurs as National Flag
Week and calling upon citizens of the United States to display the flag each day
during the week.
As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton's teachers explained the words and
meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class.
I - - Me; an individual; a committee of one.
Pledge - - Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
Allegiance - - My love and my devotion.
Well the supreme court is wrong. They have been wrong before. Once our
supreme court ruled that it was legal to own slaves, Once they ruled
that women did not have a right to vote! They are wrong again. Morally
no one living in these United States under the protection of our flag
has a right to burn it in hate. Freedom of speech is the spoken and
written word, not acts of hate. In order to override a supreme court
decision it takes a constitutional ammedment. A constitutional ammedment
must be passed by 2/3 of the house and senate and ratified by 3/4 of all
the states. There is a bill in the Senate to ammend the constitution to
overide the supreme court to make it illegal once again to desecrate our
flag.. It has been overwhelmingly passed by the house. The Senate needs
67 votes to pass the ammendment. Both Oklahoma senators are supporting
the ammedment. We are not we the supreme court, We are still "We the
People" The reason the federal building in Oklahoma city was bombed was
because an American Flag was flying over it. The hate was so great they
killed 168 Americans, 19 of them children, just to bring down our flag.
Our Flag was pulled from the rubble tattered and torn and raised back
again over the ruins.
Eighty-one years after the civil war, After WW-II, the American Flag was
raised again over the Court House in Vicksburg. Now the 4th of July is
celebrated in Vicksburg, Flag Day is celebrated in Vicksburg, and they
are proud to have had a part in keeping America the land of the free and
the home of the brave.
Thanks be to God and all veterans, we do not live under the flag of the
Rising Sun, the Nazi Swastika or the Hammer and Sickle. We fly the red, white and blue stars and stripes, "Old Glory". We certainly do have something to celebrate on the 4th of July and Flag Day, our freedom.
We had a youth in Oklahoma City wipe a grimy dip stick on an American
Flag. He drove into a 7-11 store, pulled an American Flag out of his car
he was using for a seat cover. The folks at the store called the police,
they came out and arrested him, the judge turned him loose and said he
has a right to do that.
The first black man to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor was
Sgt. William Carney of the 54th Mass. Infantry Regiment an all black
unit. During the first charge on Fort Wagner in 1863, Sgt. Carney was
shot in both legs and severely wounded in the shoulder carrying the
American Flag he had retrieved from a falling flag bearer. Sgt Carney
did not fall or retreat and stood at the fort's wall during the second
charge holding the American Flag as high as he could. His unit of 600
suffered over 50% casualties. After the battle in the field hospital
where he and others lay wounded, Sgt. Carney told his comrades, "Our
dear old Flag never touched the ground!"
During the battle of Chattanooga in Dec.1863, one hour after the charge
up the mountain, the flag of the 24th Wisconsin was planted on
Missionary Ridge. Three color bearers of that flag were killed that
afternoon. The color bearer that made it through was 18 year old Aurthur
McArthur who was also awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. 80 years
later his son was awarded the same medal on a very different war. His
son was General Douglas McArthur. We need more youths today like
Sgt.William Carney and Aurthur McArthur and not dip stick kids. I salute
the officers who arrested the ungrateful youth. The courts should make
the dip stick kid and his parents read this article, memorize the
Gettysburg address, recite it 50 times in public out loud and then
deport them to Iran or Iraq. Abraham Lincoln on the Gettysburg battlefield, November 19, 1863
The flag folding ceremony represents the same religious principles on
which our country was originally founded. The portion of the flag
denoting honor is the canton of blue containing the stars representing
the states of our veterans that served in uniform. The canton field of
blue dresses from left to right but when draped on a casket of a veteran
who has served our country in uniform, it is inverted to be over the
heart.
Our American Flag is folded with thirteen triangular folds, the same
number of stripes, representing the 13 original colonies.
1 - The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.
BACK TO "TABLE OF CONTENTS"
Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of
this lecture. It is followed by an observation of his
own.
To the Flag - - Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of Freedom; wherever
she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity
that shouts, Freedom is everybody's job.
United - - That means that we have all come together.
States - - Individual communities that have united into fifty great
states. Fifty individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose.
All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose,
and that is love for country.
And to the Republic - - Republic--a state in which sovereign power is
invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern.
And
government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not
from the leaders to the people.
For which it stands, One Nation under God, One Nation under God --
meaning, so blessed by God.
Indivisible - - Incapable of being divided. (The Civil War proved that)
With Liberty - - Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one's own
life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice - - The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with
others.
For All - - For All--which means, boys and girls, it's as much your
country as it is mine.
During the siege and battle 30,000 Americans died, many of them were
from Mississippi. Because no food or supplies could be shipped in, many
of them starved to death. People lived in caves in the hills around the
city to get away from the shelling.
On that same day, July 4th 1863, General Robert E. Lee was retreating
from Gettysburg with what was left of his army after the three day
battle on July 1, 2, and 3. 50,000 Americans died in that battle, 28,000
were Confederate soldiers. It meant the 4th of July was a day of
mourning for the South, especially at Vicksburg.
On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked. The People in Vicksburg
knew if they did not help President Roosevelt stop these aggressors,
they soon would be bombing San Francisco, Denver, Oklahoma City and
Vicksburg. Mississippians answered the call by the thousands. They did
not want any more war and destruction in Vicksburg. They stood along
side men and women from Maine, Illinois, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and all
other states. Many Patriots from Vicksburg died and were wounded
fighting under the American Flag and what it stands for.
Let us never forget it was paid for with a tremendous price.
It boggles my mind when someone living in these
United States of America under the protection of our flag, wipes a
dipstick on it. Some of that youth's grandfathers may have died
preserving the flag he used as a grease rag. Many Americans have died
just to keep our flag off the ground. When a flag bearer fell during
battle, another American would throw down his rifle and pick up the
flag. In the first day of the battle of Gettysburg in one advance
thirteen flag bearers were killed carrying one Flag.
The last part of Lincolns Gettysburg
address! "- - - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion
to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion,
that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain,
that this nation under God, - - - and that government of the people by
the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth."
2 - The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.
3 - The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran
departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the
defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.
4 - The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American
citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of
peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.
5 - The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, "Our country, in dealing
with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still
our country, right or wrong."
6 - The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart
that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of
America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
7 - The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through
the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our
flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without
the boundaries of our republic.
8 - The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley
of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of
day.
9 - The ninth fold is to honor mother, for whom our flag flies on
mother's day.
10 - The tenth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through
their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character
of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.
11 - The eleventh fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given
his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since
they were first born.
12 - The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an
emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the
Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.
When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding
us of our national motto, "In God we Trust."
--
Chaplain Boyd Fallwell - Duty & Honor to God & Country - Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, USA
Headquarters 405-681-4263.........Mobile 405-824-3012
2828 S.W. 53rd St. Oklahoma City, OK. 73119
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