WILKES-BARRE — Today, June 14, is Flag Day, and my dear friend, Joe Barna, wants everyone to know why it is so important to celebrate our flag.
Flag Day is an annual observance celebrated on June 14 to commemorate the adoption of the official American flag by the Second Continental Congress in 1777.
It is celebrated to honor the history, meaning, and values the Stars and Stripes represent as a unifying symbol of the United States.
Mr. Barna, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War (1952-1953), offered his patriotic thoughts on Flag Day.
“I would like to tell the story of one American Flag,” Mr.Barna said. “In World War II, on the island of Iwo Jima, on top of Mount Suribachi, there was a proud American Flag raised by five Marines and a Navy Corpsman. They paid for this flag with the blood of many young men on this small island.”
Mr. Barna said because of America taking this island, it would lead to the eventual defeat of Japan.
“The Marines who survived this battle began to come down off the mountain,” Mr. Barna said. “As they headed for another island to fight and maybe die on, they walked through a cemetery filled with small white crosses. All of these crosses were the final resting places of American heroes who died defending this flag — our flag.
“As these tired and worn-out boys and men walked through this cemetery, they came upon a piece of paper on a ration box nailed to one of the crosses.
On this paperboard, someone had written the words:
“When you go home, tell them, for all of us, we gave you your tomorrows by what we did today.”
Mr. Barna said as they left the island to head into the unknown, they turned to face that flag and gave one last salute.”
Mr. Barna said he was honored to have known two of the men who saw that flag raised that day.
“Honor and respect our flag,” he said. “It is part of what we still have left. To respect our flag, you respect all those who fought and died for it.”
Let all that sink in.
As Mr. Barna will tell you, one thing that has always made America strong has been its patriotism. This red-white-and-blue mentality is what has gotten this country through countless struggles, conflicts, and wars.
When I was a kid, my dad took me to every ceremony there was that celebrated the country’s patriotic holidays. Whether it be a parade, a service at a memorial, a celebration of a holiday, or a commemorative event marking dates such as D-Day or Pearl Harbor, or a speech — we were there.
On Flag Day, we hung a large American flag on our front porch, and we attended ceremonies.
And when we went to a baseball game, from Little League to the Major Leagues, we always stood at attention, with our hands over our hearts, and we sang the national anthem.
That was the way we were brought up — we were taught that Americans bleed red, white, and blue.
My dad valued his freedom, which he and thousands of others fought for and sacrificed for, and he respected all veterans.
There are a lot of veterans — men and women — cut from the same mold as my dad. I think of them and whenever I see them —I thank them for their service.
I think of guys like the late Jim Walsh, who dedicated his life to promoting the display of the American flag — not just on holidays, but every day.
I think of all soldiers who rushed beaches to meet the enemy, who searched jungles in blistering heat, never knowing what was ahead of them. I think of all those soldiers who took those bullets — so many of them gave their lives, never questioning why, never once thinking about cowering.
I think of all those veterans who found themselves thousands of miles from home, fighting in the heat of a jungle against an enemy they couldn’t see. I think about all they went through — on the battlefields and on the home front.
These veterans, these kids for the most part, took up arms in defense of their country — in defense of our freedoms — in defense of us. They did it with little concern for themselves, but with total concern for the people back home.
These are the reasons we should display the flag — and attend parades and ceremonies. It’s why we should sing the national anthem — why we should hold our hands over our hearts.
And it’s why we should — at every chance we get — thank all veterans for their service.
That’s why we should feel proud to be Americans and grateful not only that we live in a free country, but also that we respect and honor all who have fought to preserve it.
Make sure you retain that red-white-and-blue mentality. Celebrate Flag Day, but, more importantly, celebrate the men and women who protect our freedom.
Celebrate patriots and patriotism, and celebrate every day that you are lucky enough to live in the United States of America.
Fly our flag and be proud.