Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome. It is time now for our community connection and ladies from the dar Welcome, welcome, welcome. What do we have going on today?
Well, thank you, good morning, Devin, Dana.
You're dressed up for something pretty good. I think Flag Days coming up.
Yes, yes, it is Saturday, June fourteenth, which.
Is the official day. However, we're backing it up just one day and we will have the honor of talking about how important in our United States flag is at the library. The library, Thank you Kylie Robertson, the library director, who has graciously said yes, we may use the northwest corner of the property where the giant flagpole is. Will assemble there nine o'clock Friday morning, June the thirteenth. I know, Friday the thirteenth, but that's fine.
Well, let's tell you what we got the flag behind us. We're good, absolutely, yeah, so Wide Flag Day.
Well, you know what's interesting about our flag? It's important anyway. I think everybody kind of gets that catch, especially if they are veterans or in first responder positions. They all have something that's probably particular about that. But one of the things I learned in dar Is that during the Revolutionary War period, one of the well I guess you'd call them sort of immigrant patriots and came to be
well known, didn't have a flag on his ship. And when he began to try to land, either in Denmark or the Netherlands, somewhere in western Europe, he did not have a flag. And that meant you were a pirate if you had no banner of a country from whom you hailed or supported you. And that was kind of in there. There's this odd flag called a Serapis flag that looks a little bit different. I should have brought it,
but Benjamin Franklin just happened to be in France. I mean, this is before you know, copy machines and scans and all that stuff. Anyway, he's sketched off this crazy flag now called the Serapis, got it to the man so that he could have a flag of the United States. And this is of course before we were completely independent. But as we know, flags have been important for hundreds of years, and ours, of course has changed a little
bit over the years. But it originally started with just the thirteen stars for the colonies and the stars the stripes have not changed, but the star numbers have changed.
Now. We had a resolution that was made saying this is going to be Flag Day. A lot of things, a lot of thought went into it. We want to go to go into that a little bit.
Well, looking at me, well.
Actually, I would like to just say you ask why Flag Day? If I can talk on that. Daughters of American Revolution are very very patriotic group. We honor our veterans, we are historic preservation and education, and so why Flag Day. We want to honor our flag, We want to respect our country. We want to educate the public, which is what we're doing today. What is the flag? How did the flag get started? Why do we have the certain
amount of stars and the stripes and all that. So we are inviting the community to come to educate them, but also to honor respect our flag and just show our patriotism. So I will let Donna answer that question.
Well, in the early years, particularly in seventeen seventy seven, the Continental Congress at that time resolved to deal with this issue of the banner or the flag's design, And of course it was done at that time, but it was a long time before what we call Flag Day became an official standardized date, and that came much much much later with President Wilson, that would have been like nineteen sixteen, and then President Coolidge again in nineteen twenty seven,
and they actually made a proclamation that was established officially in nineteen forty nine with President Truman. So that date, that June fourteenth, does not change. Obviously, the day of the week changes, but it was not made an official holiday, so government and city and state buildings, you know, don't get that vacation day. However, we still think it's an
important one. And we see all sorts of organizations around our country that proudly fly the flag their businesses, at their offices, and we're on their clothing, all sorts of places. And it'll be fun this Friday because we will have Scout Troop five that is chartered by Saint John at the Latin Gate Catholic Church. Their troop will be there to raise the flag, give the call the colors, all
of that. Our brothers and sons of the American Revolution will be there as well in their colonial garb, and our own Chief, Kevin Micheleberry will be there to speak a few words on what the flag means to the law enforcement in particular, and it won't be a long service, you know, it'll be somewhat simple, but we hope it'll
be important to those who come. And if it should rain pouring down, Robertson has graciously said, yes, come inside the building, into the foyer and into the display room, and we'll assemble there and do basically the same thing without raising and lowering the flag. So come with an umbrella. Maybe that will chase the rain away at least for a little while, and we will still honor our flag on Friday morning.
Now DAAR stands for Daughters of American Revolution. Now, yes, you were telling me something just before we came on the air about the Battle of Brandywine where the yes, the flag was first carried into battle. You got some kind of a time.
Yes, So when I found out, so my patriot he fought in the Revolutionary War on the American side, has to be on the American side, and he was a wagon master, and he fought with General Washington in the Battle of Brandywine, and the flag of the design that it is now was first carried in that battle. So I thought that was very interesting that my patriot was there where our flag was first carried into battle.
Absolutely, So we would encourage women to dig out those genealogy books that probably their mother or their grandmother started, or even they've started themselves, and do some looking about from where their history came. It's almost always interesting and sometimes very revealing, and there may be a scoundrel or two in there, but that makes it a little bit more fun and interesting as well.
So why join Daughters of the American Revolution? Our Sons of American Revolution? Like I said before, we are patriotic and we do what we can to help the community. So we are in there serving our community, honoring our veterans. Whenever we can. We honor a veteran at every meeting, and we go to the Veterans Parade Memorial service at the White ROAs ceremony. So whenever we have the opportunity to honor our veterans and to serve in the community. So why join the DAR to just help. We have
received so much in this country. We can all give some back, So that's what we want to do.
You know, since we are celebrating Flag Day, we've got a lot of symbolism for the United States. I like to go into that a little bit.
Well, the thirteen stripes of course for those original thirteen and nowadays, of course we have fifty stars, and that changed a little bit over time. I'm old enough to remember when those last two states began to get added to the flag, but at this I didn't know until I did some research. But the red is symbolic of heartiness or valor, the white is for purity and innocence,
the blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice. So those are kind of typical colors that have always had some symbolism, but they're particularly poignant as we look at our banner, and of course not just something that we are particularly fond of, but you look at the scouting groups around town. They are very cautious and careful about how they handle the flag, how it's presented, particularly at night or in
inclement weather, and how they dispose of it. If you've never been to a seriously proper disposal of torn at tattered flags, you'll probably need a handkerchief or tissue to use, because it is very very clearly defined on how you cut it, how you manipulate it, and how you dispose
of it. And so that's fun. And then of course some of us I have My husband has his father's and I have my father's flag that's been folded, you know, into the typical triangle because they were both differents and my uncles at the time of their death, and so you that's always bittersweet in a way when you look at that. When I go through the room and I see that, I think, yeah, what they did mattered.
So a few things about the flag. When you see the flag coming into the room it's being presented, you always face the flag and you salute it until it is stationed. And then when they take the flag back out, you always salute it and you face the flag until it is out of the room. When you are putting your flags up, if you have more than one flag, the flag is always on its own right when you post it up maybe on the wall. The stars are
always on its own right. The only time and I found this out about a year ago during a blood drive. There was a gentleman and I didn't know he was a veteran at a time at the time, but he had a flag on his right shoulder and the stars you're on its own left. And I said, how can that? Why are the stars on its own left? And he said, because when you are in the service, you never you never back down. So the stars are always forward because you always go forward to help a brother in need.
So I never knew that. So if you see the flag on a shirt and the stars are not on its own right, that's why. Interesting fact. Yeah, interesting fact that I never knew until this veteran after he gave blood that my blood's right. You mentioned that so well, there's.
So many things that I know that we're going to learn so many more coming up. On the thirteenth, the day before Flag Days, we celebrate Flag Day here in Bartletsville once again. We're going to be at the library.
What corner, the northwest corner, so you'll be facing the fire station basically you'll see it just to the west across the street on Johnstone.
And what time we'll be there five till nine. It starts at nine, So get there right, come aheads, come in.
You're late.
Thank you.
I want to thank you both for being here and thank you for sharing all this information as well. And we'll send folks right on out and uh we'll have a looks like the weather is going to cooperate nicely.
Thank you, ladies, Thank you so much.
Thank you,