Cord Byrd: “June 14 is celebrated in the United States as ``Flag Day.'' Flag Day is not a big holiday. Offices will not close to…”

“June 14 is celebrated in the United States as ``Flag Day.'' Flag Day is not a big holiday. Offices will not close to observe it; stores will not hold special sales; no fireworks will light the sky; no special presents or dinners will make June 14 stand out for most people. I doubt that even the holiday card makers have put out much of a selection of cards to send to loved ones, reminding them that we are thinking of them on Flag Day. But it is a special day nonetheless. One may notice more flags than usual--small ones cantilevered into the breeze next to neighborhood front doors and larger ones snapping smartly before schools and storefronts. In Washington, DC, of course, we are blessed with a plethora of flags. Flag Day is a good time to take special note of them, flying proudly above the Capitol Building and in front of all the other government offices and monuments, like those encircling the Washington Monument. They are a grand sight every day of the year, but especially so on Flag Day. Americans honor their flag, the Stars and Stripes, or Old Glory, on June 14 because it was on June 14, 1777--230 years ago--that the Continental Congress adopted a resolution to give the United States a national flag to replace the British Union Jack.”