By Dominick Lombardi
Orange Republican Town Committee
Dominick Lombardi
Since 1916 The US has annually celebrated Flag Day on June 14.
This day honors our grand old flag, adopted by the first Continental Congress in 1777. Over nearly 250 years, the American flag has evolved alongside our nation, symbolizing its growth and resilience. Our current flag, with 50 stars and 13 stripes in traditional red, white, and blue, represents each state and the original thirteen colonies that founded our nation.
Around the world our flag serves as a beacon of hope, inspiration and partnership to our allies, and a reminder of the definition of American might to our adversaries. Here at home, our flag stands as a timeless symbol of freedom, unity and American resilience.
On Flag Day we celebrate not just a piece of cloth, but the principles and sacrifices it represents. Our flag has flown over battlefields, displaying the bravery of those who fought for our liberty. It has been a bright spot during times of darkness and struggle and an emblem displayed proudly in moments of triumph and American exceptionalism.
For Orange Republicans, Flag Day is not just something we celebrate annually but a daily appreciation for the stars and stripes. This year we celebrated Flag Day with our first annual “Freedom Family Picnic,” in which we gathered with friends and family to celebrate our great American freedoms. Year-round, we proudly display our flags at home, in our businesses and in public spaces, renewing our pledge to the values of freedom, individual rights and a government, which is of, by, and for the people.
Orange Republicans honor the flag by strongly supporting our veterans who fought to defend her, our military who defends her today as well as our brave men and women in law enforcement, fire departments and first responders who protect the citizens the flag represents. We make it a top priority to ensure that in our work as Republicans, we make sure that the ideals and liberties our flag represents are preserved for generations of Orange residents to come.
I end with a verse from an all-American song by an all-American icon, Johnny Cash’s Ragged Old Flag:
“In her own good land here she’s been abused, she’s been burned, dishonored, denied and refused, and the government for which she stands has been scandalized throughout the lands and she’s getting thread bare and wearin’ thin, but she’s in good shape for the shape she’s in. So, we raise her up every morning and take her down every night, we don’t let her touch the ground and we fold her up right. On second thought, I do like to brag, cause I’m mighty proud of that ragged old flag.”
Dominick Lombardi is the chair of the Orange Republican Town Committee.