On a day to celebrate the American flag, members of District No. 10, Department of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands will honor “Old Glory” in a special ceremony. Members of the American Legion Posts in the territory will conduct a special ceremony honoring the 240th birthday of the U. S. Flag and the 242nd birthday of the United States Army.
The ceremony on St. Croix will be conducted at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 14, at the Myron G. Danielson American Legion Post No. 85, No. 2 Old Hospital Grounds, Christiansted. At the ceremony, the Legion will also be disposing any unserviceable flags from the community that need to be destroyed. Businesses and citizens of the community with unserviceable flags may take them to the American Legion Hall for disposal.
A similar ceremony will take place on St. Thomas at 3 p.m., Sunday, June 11, at Patrick U. George American Legion Post 90, at the Headquarters in Sub Base.
The American flag was authorized by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777, but commemoration of this significant event developed slowly. The Stars and Stripes first flew in a Flag Day celebration in 1861 in Hartford, Conn. The first national observance of Flag Day came on June 14, 1877, 100 years after the original resolution establishing the nation’s symbol.
Flag Day — the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 — was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until Aug. 3, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.
The United States Army was established 241 years ago to defend the country during the Revolutionary War to the current operations taking place around the world. This 242nd birthday commemorates America’s army – soldiers, families and civilians.
All veterans and the public are invited to join the Legionnaires as they pay tribute to the flag and celebrate the birthday of the United States Army. Anyone with unusable flags should take them to the Legion headquarters on respective island for proper destruction.
