Join the American Red Cross in Celebrating Flag Day!

By Daniel Steffy, Intern

Many Americans fly their flags on July Fourth, to celebrate the birth of our nation. But the American flag has a holiday all its own, and it's coming up this Saturday. The idea for Flag Day is believed to date to 1885, when a school teacher named B.J. Cigrand in Freedonia, Wisconsin, celebrated a "flag birthday" on June 14th -- the 108th anniversary of the United States officially adopting the Stars and Stripes as its national flag. Cigrand promoted his idea relentlessly, and it began to catch on. By 1894, the governor of New York ordered the flag displayed on all public buildings and in 1916 President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation establishing June 14th as Flag Day. With Wilson's proclamation, Flag Day began to grow in popularity, but it wasn't until 1949 that President Harrry Truman signed an act of Congress official designating June 14th as our annual National Flag Day.
   
[Here's some more background: http://www.usflag.org/flag.day.html]

But June 14th already has special significance in American history. On that date in 1775 -- two years before it adopted the flag --  the Second Continental Congress commissioned the American Continental Army, the forerunner of our modern military. The American Red Cross has a long partnership with America's military, starting with the days when Clara Barton first led a group of nurses onto the battlefields to care for American soldiers during the Spanish-American War. The Red Cross has supported America's military through every conflict since then, as well as provided support to their families back home. The Red Cross continues to proudly serve our nation's soldiers today!

[More background: http://www.redcross.org/about-us/history/red-cross-american-history/military-partnership]

So join the Red Cross in remembering America's heroes and be sure to fly your flag this Saturday, not just to honor the flag on its birthday, but also to celebrate the men and women who have served under it throughout our nation's history. If you'd like to make a difference, check out the Red Cross service to the armed forces page: http://www.redcross.org/what-we-do/support-military-families