Flag Day, June 14, commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag. What better way to celebrate than with a visit to Washington, D.C.
A cigar-chomping character, dressed up like a five-star general, greets visitors to the WWII Memorial. The day of my visit, an Honor Guard composed of service men and women from the five branches of military showed respect for the symbols of our country.
During WWII, my dad was a sailor in the Pacific; my step-father was a GI in Germany. I carried a dozen American banners in my backpack – and I left a flag for my fathers.
The names of the men and women from the District of Columbia who gave their lives in the First World War are inscribed in an open-air Doric structure near the Reflecting Pool. The grandfather of my guide served in the Great War for Civilization. I left a flag for his service.
One summer morning 60 years ago, my grandmother rustled me from sleep. “Son, wake up,” she said. “We’re at war.” Instantly, all the images of the war movies I was raised on flashed through my head. I left a flag for those early causalities at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
A nearby statue depicts three American servicemen and the things they carried. An empty wheelchair sat next to the sculpture – a reminder that some veterans came home in a wheelchair; some didn’t come home at all.
2023 is the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. D.C.’s streets were festooned with the flag of South Korea in April to welcome President Yoon of the Republic of Korea. He and President Biden left a wreath at the Korean War Veterans Memorial a few days after my visit.
1953 is the first memory I have of my dad when he returned to his two-year-old son after the war in Korea. I left another flag for my father.
Arlington National Cemetery is a place of solemn beauty, with headstone after headstone in a row. It is a peaceful place befitting those who have seen the horrors of war. The sound of a flag ruffling in the breeze causes the heart to beat a little faster.
While at Arlington, I left a flag for an Army major and a Navy captain. The service I receive at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in San Antonio merited a memorial for its namesake. And the father of my best friend is buried nearby; so I left a Salute to Captain Arellano.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of the flag rising over Iwo Jima was the model for the US Marine Corps War Memorial. My guide brought to my attention an optical illusion. The flag at the Marine Corps Memorial seems to rise as you drive around it. There is no such thing as an ex-Marine. I left a flag for those who served.
The Air Force Memorial honors the service and heritage of the men and women of military aviation. It’s located near a new section of Arlington National Cemetery. I left a flag for my mother’s brothers. Staff Sargent Hollis Walker and Lt. Col. Dick Walker both served in the Air Force in WWII and Korea. Salute to my uncles!
The fountain at the United States Navy Memorial is filled annually with waters from the seven seas. After touching the waters of the world, I left a flag for my father’s service in the Pacific during WWII.
One can celebrate the flag by displaying it at home or work. We can honor the meaning of Flag Day by remembering those who served under it. Or we can bring glory to Old Glory by visiting a history museum or memorial. And in Washington, D.C., there are many memorials to aid our memory.
all internal images courtesy of author
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