Today is Flag Day, an annual celebration honoring the initial adoption of the United States flag.
It was 234 years ago today – June 14, 1777 – that the Continental Congress replaced the British Grand Union flag with a new design featuring 13 white stars in a circle on a field of blue and 13 red and white stripes – one for each of the original 13 colonies. Although the design of Old Glory has changed over the years, the symbolism behind the Stars and Stripes has not: more than two centuries later, the American flag still represents an international beacon of hope, freedom and democracy for the world’s downtrodden.
As Americans everywhere pause today to honor our flag, Scaling Beacon Hill asks that we also take a moment to honor the many brave men and women of the U.S. military who continue to serve our country and to defend the ideals symbolized by our flag, both at home and abroad.
