FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- Flag Day is celebrated June 14 annually as a day to reflect on the nation's Stars and Stripes and what it represents.
The Army's 235th birthday is also that day and both dining facilities' staff will observe the occasion with cake cuttings from 11 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
Soldiers of the 597th Maintenance Company, recently redeployed, took a moment June 3 to express to the "Army Flier" what Flag Day means to them.
"It symbolizes our community and democracy at its best," Spc. Aaron Jones said. "Everyone probably has a different feeling about it, but I think pride in our flag should be something we share."
Sgt. Danyell Richardson, a single parent of four children, felt the flag also represents Families and what previous generations went through to provide a safe place for them.
"To me it's a reminder of the sacrifice we've had to make and that it's worth it," she said. "Our freedom and Families are worth what we have to do to make sure they're safe."
Several 597th Maint. Co. members returned from a six-month deployment to the Middle East May 30. Some found their feelings about the flag and what it represents had become stronger while serving overseas.
"We're unique from everybody else in the world," Spc. Susan Pickett said. "We should feel fortunate to have the freedom to choose what we do with our lives. It should give us a sense of pride, not just in where we live, but in our work and who we are."
Flag Day began in 1885 when B.J. Cigrand, a schoolteacher in Fredonia, Wis., arranged for students to observe June 14, the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of the Stars and Stripes as "Flag Birthday." In numerous magazines, newspaper articles and public addresses in the following years, she encouraged the observance of June 14 as "Flag Birthday" or "Flag Day."
President Harry Truman signed an act of Congress Aug. 3, 1949, designating June 14 as America's Flag Day.
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