The Stars and Stripes are a symbol of national pride. We salute it, display it and pledge to it. Today we celebrate our flag and all it stands for. National Flag Day is a day that honors the adoption of this symbol.

In 1777, the Continental Congress established an official flag for our country. Congress required that "the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." The design has changed since then as more states have been added to the union. President Truman officially declared Flag Day a national holiday in 1949; however, Americans had been celebrating the unofficial holiday since the late 1800s.

Although Flag Day is recognized one day each year, we honor it every day. Each day before the Senate begins business in the chamber, we honor our heritage by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. If you travel to Washington D.C. and visit the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, you can see the symbol that inspired Francis Scott Key to write our National Anthem and our athletes wear an American flag emblem on their uniforms.

I encourage all Arkansans to recognize the importance of this national symbol. If you’re interested in getting an American flag, my office is happy to help. We can arrange to have a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol. With your flag, you will receive a certificate to commemorate the event that can be customized with a person’s name, the occasion for which the flag is being flown, as well as the specific date it was flown.

Our flag is a way to show our patriotism and is an important reminder of the men and women who have paved the path for the country we know today.