6-14-2025 9:24am

June 14th Flag Day, June 15th The U.S. Army Was Established

Chris Edwards Editor

Army at White Sands National Park AlamogordoTownNews.org on behalf of the National Park Service Photos

Flag Day is an annual holiday that celebrates the American flag and is celebrated on June 14 every year. It commemorates the day the Second Continental Congress passed the first flag resolution. Read on to learn more about the significance of Flag Day and how to properly practice the American flag code to celebrate!

During the American Revolution, colonists weren’t united under a single flag. Instead, most regiments fought under their local flags. Then, in June 1775, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to create the Continental Army. Now that America had an army, it needed a flag.

The first iteration of what we now think of as the American flag looked awfully close to the British flag. It had 13 red and white alternating stripes and a Union Jack icon in the corner. President George Washington realized pretty quickly that the flag wasn’t doing much to inspire confidence in the new Continental Army, so he decided to change it.

On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a flag resolution stating, “Resolved, that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”

Now that America had its flag, the county set out to establish itself as a new nation. However, it took 100 years for President Woodrow Wilson to mark the anniversary of the Second Continental Congress degree by establishing June 14 as Flag Day.

Though it’s not as widely celebrated as some of the other patriotic holidays in America, Flag Day is a significant national observance. It marks the first time American colonists had colors of their own to fly.

Title 4, United States Code, Chapter 1 details the rules, etiquette, and regulations regarding the American flag. If you don’t have time to read the US Code, here’s everything you need to know about how not to display a flag and all of the rules regarding how to honor America’s colors

The U.S. Army was established 250 years ago by the Continental Congress and was then named the Continental Army. The day after on June 15th, Continental Congress elected George Washington as the Commander-in-Chief with a unanimous vote.

Interwoven within the Tularosa Basin, locally White Sands National Park and the U.S. Military have a storied past. The park was established as a monument in 1933, and it was not too much later in 1941 and 1942 that the establishment of the U.S. Bombing and Gunnery Range and Holloman Air Force Base had the White Sands National Monument surrounded.

The White Sands dune field is 275 square miles, the National Park Service manages 41% of this resource and the remaining is split between Holloman Air Force Base and what is now known as White Sands Missile Range.

The historic photo above highlight how the military and the park are intertwined but rest easy that you will not see any tanks within the park’s boundary.

From a training location for soldiers, to a place to recreate for their families, the history of the Alamogordo area would not be complete without them. Today the park like the local community still serve the families of those who serve us, as a place of peaceful refuge, relaxation, and recreation.

Military members, Veterans, and Gold Star families receive free entrance to National Park Service sites. Learn about obtaining a military pass below:

https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/veterans-and-gold-star-families-free-…

To learn more about the military history of White Sands National Park please visit the link below:

https://www.nps.gov/whsa/learn/historyculture/military-history.htm

This weekend the staff and supporters of AlamogordoTownNews.org, NewMexicoConservativeNews.com, KALHRadio.org recognize and celebrate the true history behind Flag Day and the honor of the first Continental Army which evolved into the modern US Army of today.