National flag full of inspirational symbolism Published June 13, 2011 By Dan Wetmore AFOTEC Kirtland Air Force Base -- It presides over held ground, cemeteries and battlefields. It identifies our ships, planes and tanks, graces our public halls and homes, has been planted on the moon, and launched beyond our solar system. On June 14, the United States flag will be 234 years old. It was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. It has grown up with our country and its face has changed over those years, in fitting reflection of our own emerging identity as a nation. Yet throughout that journey, the familiar hues, and the ideals they represent, have remained constant and undiminished: the blue of valor, the white of virtue and steadfast purpose, the red of blood willingly given for liberty's attainment and preservation. It's been crafted in many media. It was created from a small swatch of handkerchief inked in blood and berry juice and secretly saluted within the walls of Hanoi's Hao Lo prison. In turn, it's been used to fashion many things; bandages for the wounded, litters for the fallen, shrouds for the dead. A symbol of the collective will of a people struggling to better the human condition through word and deed, it's fitting that the flag flies above us all, mirroring a phenomenon that transcends any one life or lifetime. Animated by the same breezes that breathe life into each of us, we hope its motions will be perpetual, where ours are numbered. Understandable then, that the stars in a field of blue were chosen to represent each state's entry into the union, the whole appearing - in the centuries-old vision of our founding fathers - as a new constellation in the firmament of nations. Our nation's motto, "E Pluribus Unum" is evident in that constellation. In the Stars and Bars we see the wager and reward of 'the grand experiment,' an unmatched union of interdependent states. The whole being greater than the sum of its parts is a challenging concept. No less so is the notion that those who cherish freedom most would seek its increase by denying themselves its full enjoyment. Thankfully, many continue to take up that challenge. Furthering that ethos is a persistent myth, that the hollow ball or "truck" that caps each flagpole on a military installation contains a bullet and a match. The one is to defend that expanse of cloth which is anything but, the other to burn it should safeguarding prove impossible. The story itself might be fiction, but it springs from a deep and true conviction: never should the colors fall - from height, from possession, from focus. Along similar lines, a longstanding military custom for newly commissioned officers is to present a silver dollar to the person from whom they receive their first salute. More than a courtesy, it's a reminder of our shared, sworn mission. Study that coin and you'll see that Lady Liberty strides toward a radiant dawn, wrapped in the billowing raiment of the colors. In her arm she carries a garland of branches. There are two types: Laurel, representing the highest aspirations and refinements of civil society, and Oak, symbolizing the martial mettle necessary to protect those treasures. Liberty only progresses when both are held in proper measure. She succeeds only through the toils of two groups; our forebears, who wove the strands of this nation's fabric, and our contemporaries, who keep it in good repair through readily shouldered privations. My hope is that her brilliant hues will always inspire our steps, and we, her progress. And that throughout the journey, all who meet her will come to see those colors as we have, and be equally lifted and sustained by their sheltering folds.