FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
President Proclaims Flag Day and National Flag Week

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 7, 2013 - President Barack Obama today signed a proclamation designating June 14 as Flag Day and the week beginning June 9 as National Flag Week.


Here is the president's proclamation:

Each June, our Nation lifts its sights to the flag that has watched over us since the days of our founding. In those broad stripes and bright stars, we see the arc of the American story -- from a handful of colonies to 50 States, united and free.

When proud patriots took up the fight for independence, they came together under a standard that showed their common cause. When the wounds of civil war were still fresh and our country walked the long road to reconstruction, our people found hope in a banner that testified to the strength of our Union. Wherever our American journey has taken us, whether on that unending path to the mountaintop or high above into the reaches of space, Old Glory has followed, reminding us of the rights and responsibilities we share as citizens.

This week, we celebrate that legacy, and we honor the brave men and women who have secured it through centuries of service at home and abroad. Let us raise our flags high, from small-town storefronts to duty stations stretched around the globe, and let us look to them once more as we press on in the march toward a more perfect Union.

To commemorate the adoption of our flag, the Congress, by joint resolution approved August 3, 1949, as amended (63 Stat. 492), designated June 14 of each year as "Flag Day" and requested that the President issue an annual proclamation calling for its observance and for the display of the flag of the United States on all Federal Government buildings. The Congress also requested, by joint resolution approved June 9, 1966, as amended (80 Stat. 194), that the President annually issue a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as "National Flag Week" and call upon citizens of the United States to display the flag during that week.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim June 14, 2013, as Flag Day and the week beginning June 9, 2013, as National Flag Week. I direct the appropriate officials to display the flag on all Federal Government buildings during that week, and I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by displaying the flag. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress (89 Stat. 211), as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activities, and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-seventh.

AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND CELEBRATES FLAG DAY

AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND
Senior Airman Brett Steffen, 460th Comptroller Squadron customer service technician, raises the American flag at the 460th Space Wing Headquarters building. Steffen raises and lowers the flag for ceremonies, weather and other occasions all while paying Old Glory the proper respects. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Rau) 

A day for Old Glory 
by Staff Sgt. Nicholas Rau
460th Space Wing Public Affairs

6/14/2012 - BUCKLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Today we celebrate Flag Day by showing its respect to the national emblem that was adopted 235 years ago.

The American flag, sewn by Betsy Ross, has seen multiple iterations and designs throughout its history. However, the care and respect of the flag has remained constant and paramount.

The handling of Old Glory is governed by the National Flag Code, while the military follows additional customs and courtesies that are laid down by their respective services. Buckley Air Force Base uses honor guard demonstrations and wing retreat ceremonies as opportunities to display the proper respect toward our nation's colors.

The Air Force follows Air Force Manual 36-2203, Drill and Ceremonies, said Tech. Sgt. Scot Tardiff, 460th Space Wing information management technician and an Buckley AFB honor guard member for two and a half years. However, this manual is not the only reason Tardiff takes such care when handling the American flag.

"The flag represents liberty," said Tardiff. "The flag is the reason that I do what I do. To show disrespect to the flag is to show disrespect to the nation," continued the honor guard veteran, reiterating the importance of paying proper respect to the flag.

Eventually a flag will become worn by the weather and need to be retired. The National Flag Code states: the flag, when it's in such a condition, it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. Individuals may hold their own flag retirement ceremonies or donate their worn flags to an organization that will retire Old Glory for them.

One of the many organizations that help individuals with flag retirement is The Enlisted Association, who recently held a flag retirement ceremony.

"We had gathered flags for the last two years," said Roger L. Tackitt, the local chapter president. "We had about 200 flags for the ceremony."

The ceremony consisted of first an invocation and then the pledge of allegiance, recounted Tackitt. Then there was an explanation of the meaning behind the stars and the stripes, followed by the cutting of the individual stripes out of the field. Those stripes were then lowered into the flames until the whole flag was burned to ash. From there, the grommets were removed and final respects were paid to the memory of the retired American flag, explained Tackitt proudly.

As the next generation grows to take the place of the last, both men agree respect for our nation's colors needs to be passed on and continued.

Attending flag ceremonies or getting involved with them, all while observing the customs and courtesies being rendered there, are great ways for others to learn the proper respect for our national emblem, cited Tardiff.

The most important thing to pass on to future generations is a respect for the nation and the flag for which it stands, said Tackitt.

THE BATTLE OF BALTIMORE BAY REMEMBERED IN FLAG DAY COMMEMORATIONS

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
The amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) transits past Naval Station Norfolk, Va., as part of OpSail 2012 in Norfolk, Va., commemorating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, June 6, 2012. The parade includes an international fleet of naval vessels as well as waterborne and air assets from the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Army Corps of Engineers and other government and private organizations. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Julie Matyascik







Navy Ships Participate in Flag Day, War of 1812 Commemorations
By Donna Miles
WASHINGTON, June 14, 2012 - Ten Navy ships, including USS Fort McHenry, are commemorating Flag Day today at the site of the historic War of 1812 battle 200 years ago that inspired the National Anthem.

Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen will take part in Flag Day events at Fort McHenry, the star-shaped fortress that endured what's become one of the most remembered engagements of the war.

On the night of Sept. 13, 1814, British ships in Baltimore harbor bombarded the outgunned U.S. resistance at the fort for 25 solid hours. Francis Scott Key, a civilian lawyer who was sent to Baltimore to negotiate an American hostage's release, found himself in a front-row seat to the battle aboard a British ship.

As dawn broke the following morning, Key stood on the ship's deck, amazed to see the U.S. flag still flapping in the breezes over the battered fort. He was so moved that he penned the poem that became the lyrics of the National Anthem.

The Navy ships in Baltimore are part of a flotilla making its way up the Eastern Seaboard to mark the bicentennial of the war that historians say marked the dawn of U.S. naval power.

Eighteen tall ships, including the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, and navy vessels from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and Norway are accompanying the Navy gray hulls in the "Star Spangled Sailabration."
The flotilla spent 12 days in Norfolk before arriving today in Baltimore for a week of activities including a tall ship parade, an air show by the Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron, fireworks and a parachute jump into Camden Yards.

The festivities, co-sponsored by Operation Sail Inc., are part of a lineup of bicentennial commemorations that kicked off in April in New Orleans and will continue through 2015. Organizers hope to engage the public with educational events and programs across the South, the Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes regions and into Canada to highlight America's maritime heritage and the War of 1812.

Beyond the Battle of Fort McHenry, many Americans have little understanding of what's been called America's first forgotten war.

The War of 1812 centered on maritime disputes between the United States and Great Britain. In the early 1800s, the Royal Navy, which was at war with France, was stopping American ships to search for sailors born in England, then forcibly pressing them into service for the crown. Both the French and English began seizing American ships, and later imposed an embargo on American vessels going to Europe that nearly bankrupted the industry. President James Madison ultimately declared war against England in 1812.
Among the most remembered events was the burning of the White House, the Capitol and the Washington Navy Yard. Dolly Madison, alone with her servants when British troops torched the White House, personally saved the famous Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington by carting it off in a wagon to Georgetown.

Army Gen. Andrew Jackson became a national hero as he led the Battle of New Orleans, ending Britain's long string of land victories.

But with naval battles in North America, off South America and Great Britain, and in the Pacific and Indian oceans, the War of 1812 was predominantly a sea campaign. It served as a defining moment for the fledging U.S. Navy, which fought the British as they tried to blockade the Atlantic coast and support land forces from Lake Erie and Lake Champlain, leading to the birth of America's modern sea services.

"The War of 1812 is significant because it paved the way for future development of the U.S. Navy," said U.S. Naval War College Professor Kevin McCranie, author of the soon-to-be-released book, "Utmost Gallantry: The U.S. and Royal Navies at Sea in the War of 1812."

"Challenging the most dominant naval power of the time, the less powerful U.S. Navy found ways to protract the war and incurred significant costs for Great Britain," he said. "That's why the War of 1812 is important for national leaders to study."

The war also helped establish the Navy's legacy of heroes. Oliver Hazard Perry, who had been dispatched from Newport, R.I., constructed ships on the shores of Lake Erie that went on to defeat a large British armada assembled there. Capt. James Lawrence, aboard the U.S. frigate Chesapeake as it was taken by HMS Shannon, uttered as his last words, the famous battle cry, "Don't give up the ship."

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who announced the bicentennial celebration last year, said the activities will recognize the men and women who continue to carry on this tradition. He called the bicentennial an opportunity to celebrate the U.S. Navy's heritage and its continued commitment to securing unobstructed access and free use of the world's oceans that are vital to national security and prosperity.

"This 'second war of independence,' fought 200 years ago, established U.S. sea power as a force in the world, and our continuing presence in the great blue and beyond," he said. "As we commemorate Old Glory and the War of 1812, we ought to remember the delicate weaving of history that has brought America to this place of great influence and greater responsibility."

Event organizers also call it a way to underscore the importance of a strong international goodwill. William Armstrong Jr., from Operation Sail pointed out that the three combatants in the conflict have become close allies.

The United States and Canada share the longest unprotected national boundary in the world, he noted during the May Parade of Sail event in Norfolk. Meanwhile, the United States and Great Britain have become not only trading partners, but also military and political allies.