Nation to honor its flag June 14

On Sunday, Americans all across the country will display and give special honor to the United States flag.

Flag Day is celebrated each year on June 14, the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777. Flag Day commemorates the adoption of the U.S. flag, which happened by resolution of the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. The flag represents the freedom that Americans enjoy and the sacrifices that American military personnel have made throughout history to ensure that freedom.

The concept of Flag Day originated in 1885 when B.J. Cigrand, a teacher in Fredonia, Wis., and his students observed June 14 as the U.S. flag's birthday. Cigrand continued to promote the idea of Flag Day, and it caught on. Other teachers, and later communities and states began to celebrate a special day honoring the American flag.

After 30 years of state and community celebrations, June 14 was officially proclaimed Flag Day by then-president Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916. Although many communities observed Flag Day for years after Wilson's proclamation, it wasn't until Aug. 3, 1949 that then-president Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress declaring June 14 as National Flag Day, according to www.USFlag.

org.

Although Flag Day is not an official federal holiday, in 1937, Pennsylvania became the first and only U.S. state to celebrate Flag Day as a state holiday. Residents and businesses are asked to fly the nation's flag during the week of June 14-21, National Flag Week, in recognition of Flag Day.

During National Flag Week, the president will issue a proclamation urging U.S. citizens to fly the American flag for the duration of the week. The flag should also be displayed on all government buildings during the week. Some organizations conduct parades and events in celebration of America's national flag and everything it represents.

The following rules for display and care of the U.S. flag, which are provided by the American Legion and covered under the Flag Code, can be found on the American Legion Web site, www.legion.org.

Position and manner of display:

* The flag of the United States of America should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of states or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs.

* When flags of states, cities, or localities, or pennants of societies are flown on the same halyard with the U.S. flag, the latter should always be at the peak. When the flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the U.S. flag should be hoisted first and lowered last. No such flag or pennant may be placed above the U.S. flag or to its right.

* When flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of about equal size. International use forbids the display of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace.

* When the U.S. flag is displayed from a staff projecting horizontally or at an angle from the window sill, balcony, or front of a building, the union of the flag should be placed at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half staff. When the flag is suspended over a sidewalk from a rope extending from a house to a pole at the edge of the sidewalk, the flag should be hoisted out, union first, from the building.

* When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag's right -- the observer's left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.

* When the flag is displayed over the middle of a street, it should be suspended vertically with the union to the north in an east and west street or to the east in a north and south street.

* When used on a speaker's platform, the flag, if displayed flat, should be displayed above and behind the speaker.

* When displayed from a staff in a church or public auditorium, the U.S. flag should hold the position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the position of honor at the clergyman's or speaker's right as he faces the audience. Any other flag so displayed should be placed on the left of the clergyman or speaker or to the right of the audience.

Flag folding:

There are no Flag Code provisions that require a particular method, however, the following folding method is traditional:

* Straighten out the flag to full length and fold lengthwise once.

* Fold it lengthwise a second time to meet the open edge, making sure that the union of stars on the blue field remains outward in full view. (A large flag may have to be folded lengthwise a third time.)

* A triangular fold is then started by bringing the striped corner of the folded edge to the open edge.

* The outer point is then turned inward parallel with the open edge to form a second triangle.

* The diagonal or triangular folding is continued toward the blue union until the end is reached, with only the blue showing and the form being that of a cocked (three corner) hat.

Unserviceable flags, which are those that have become worn and frayed, should be burned in a special ceremony and never thrown away. According to its Web site, the American Legion conducts these special ceremonies.