14 June—Flag Day and the US Army Birthday
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
This June 2021 is a milestone year for me. On June 9, 1971 I graduated from West Point after 47 grueling months.
This next week on Monday, 14 June we will celebrate the 246 years of the US Army serving and defending our country. It also is the US Flag Day.
So, this week, I thought I’d tell you a little bit about these 3 events and their impact on my life.
West Point 1967 thru 1971
Graduating on 9 June 1971.
On 9 June 1971, I stood with my classmates and took the oath to “support and defend the Constitution of United States against of all enemies, foreign and domestic” during my commissioning ceremonies in the morning of 9 June 1971. I was fortunate to have my father, then a Major General and recently returned from Vietnam, swear me in with the oath that all officers take. I was now a commissioned 2LT, as an Infantry Officer.
I was 17 when I reported to attend West Point. This is my 4th class year picture (freshman year).
My cadet days were a struggle of rigorous academics in the engineering subjects, relative success in languages, social sciences and my favorite subject, physical education.
My success at West Point in many ways was connected to being a varsity track athlete, as a long sprinter in the 440 yard dash. I earned 5 letters, a few medals in competition , but it was the closeness of the team and how important track was to me that help me overcome my academic studies difficulties and graduate.
On the way to earning my first Army A letter in 1969 in the indoor tract meet against Navy. I ran at about 155-160 lbs in those days!
Handing off in the mile relay in 1970 against Navy in the Army Navy Track meet. In all varsity sports, if your team beats Navy, you get a gold star to wear under your varsity letter. In my 3 years on varsity track (under the old rules freshman could not compete on the varsity) we never lost to Navy and I proudly wore 5 gold stars under my Army A letter.
I would return in 1981-1984 to West Point to teach physical education and help coach the cadet rugby team.
In 1983, as a coach on the Army Rugby team, we took the A side to England to play the the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst Rugby team. I am on the right , second to last in the front row.
My lifetime has been always associated with the Army in some form—it started as an Army Brat (my Dad was a career officer), as you read above I went to West Point and returned to teach in the physical education department.
I served 20 years in the Army and once a soldier, always a soldier—I have tried to help in various military organizations and causes since my retirement. It was an honor to serve.
50 years ago—in many ways a long time but most of all it seems as it was just yesterday.
So, I guess it is just fitting to tell you about the significance of 14 June in my life.
US Army Birthday
First, the US Army Birthday deserves recognition. On 14 June 1775, the Continental Congress authorized expert riflemen to serve the United States Colonies for one year. Another act on that day was special for me also, as the first and only branch authorized that day was the Infantry—my branch. Other branches were authorized on 16 June 1775 but my branch was first.
It was a difficult task that faced the members of the Second Continental Congress in 1775.
On 19 April 1775, the American Revolution had begun with the engagement at Lexington and Concord, a local rebellion of New Englanders against the British. They surrounded the British troops that occupied Boston and appealed to the delegates of the 13 colonies for help.
The delegates also learned that Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold had taken the British forts of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. It no longer was a local rebellion, the military action had changed the situation.
They decided to take the next step by establishing the Continental Army and transformed a local war of rebellion into a war of independence for the entire 13 colonies. They resolved to “raise 6 companies of expert rifleman immediately from Pennsylvania, 2 from Maryland and 2 from Virginia and, as soon as completed, shall march and join the army near Boston, to be there employed as light infantry, under command of the Chief Officer in that army”.
The US Army and the Infantry Branch were born on that June day. On this Monday 14 June 2021 both the US Army and the Infantry Branch will be 246 years old.
So, how many serve today in the Army? The active Army has about 480,900 in an all-volunteer force. There are also around 336,000 in the Army National Guard and 188,700 in the Army Reserves.
To all of you who have donned the US Army Uniform, thank you for serving our country—there is no doubt in my mind you have made it possible for us to enjoy the freedoms that come from living in America!
Happy Birthday US Army!
June 14—Flag Day
The French and American flags in front of each grave in the American cemetery in Normandy, France on 5 June 2014. The French have never forgotten we came to help liberate them on D Day 6 June 1944.
Flags have been used throughout history as a way to identify military groups, ships, states and provinces, and nations. The most popular use of flags is to symbolize a country or nation. These symbols represent the pride of a nation and are used in times of celebration, protest and tragedy to express the feelings of the nation. Perhaps no one item can so eloquently capture the spirit of a country.
Our Flag and Flag Day
When our flag was adopted, it was created by a resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777. The resolution stated that the flag "be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation." So, that is how the Stars and Strips was officially created and described by our forefathers.
There were several attempts to recognize our flag, especially after the Civil War, but it did not receive official recognition until 1916, by a Presidential Proclamation. It is not a national holiday but a day of observance to recognize the creation and importance of our flag. In 1949, by an Act of Congress, National Flag Day was created.
We all seem to know a lot about our flag and its meaning, but it got me thinking about flags in Europe. Here are some facts about European Flags, I hope you will find interesting.
Some Interesting Europe Flags
Dannebrog
According to Wikipedia, the Dannebrog (translated to Danish Cloth), the national flag of Denmark, is the oldest national flag still in use. This flag was adopted in 1478. The cross design has been adopted by the Scandinavian flags of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.
The flag of Norway, is an adaptation of the Dannebrog.
The oldest national flags often use the cross. Here are some examples:
Swiss National Flag
The Scottish Flag—one of the oldest used in Europe.
The Union Jack
Probably the most recognized flag in the world, the Union Jack is a combination of three flags: England, Wales, and Scotland and their patron saints. It was first flown on ships, hence the nickname Jack, refers to a ship mounted flag. The flag dates to 1606. Due the large colonial British Empire, it is the most common flag in the world, and is included in some form on 23 flags.
The Union Jack flies over Parliament in London, England
In Guilford, England another example of the Union Jack that flies over the castle ruins.
Tricolor Flags of Europe
There are two types of tricolor flags. They are vertical and horizontal designs. Tricolor flags are associated with republics, liberty and revolution. The French, Italian Romanian and Irish flags were all created on the formation of republics in those countries. Here are some of our favorite pictures of Tricolor flags:
Vertical Tricolor Flag
Belgium Flag in Antwerp, Belgium
The Italian National Flag at the Victor Emmanuel Monument, Rome Italy.
The French Flag on display in Bratislava, Slovakia at the French consulate with a whimsical Napoleon gazes at the square.
Horizontal Tricolor Flags
The Croatian Flag flies over the walled city of Dubrovnik
The German Flag on display in Berlin in front of the Reichstag
Ship sailing on the rivers display the flag of the country they sail through. This is, of course, the German Flag on an AmaWaterways rivership.
To my knowledge, there are only two countries that have the exact same flag. They are Romania and Chad.
The Romania Flag in Brasov
The Flag of Turkey
The flag of Turkey, in many ways, recognizes the importance of the old Ottoman Empire. It is very similar to the last flag of the Ottoman Empire. The modern flag of Turkey is also has been the inspiration for flags of other Muslim countries. The crescent and star on the flag is a symbol of Islam.
The Turkish National Flag on display in Istanbul
It is quite common in Europe to display multiple flags. Here are some examples
The flags from left to right, Athens City Flag, the Greek National Flag and the EU flag (hard to see the stars on the EU flag) in Athens
Flags in Lucerne, Switzerland. The Blue Flag is the Canton Flag of Lucerne. The red flag is an adaptation of the Swiss National Flag.
Flags in front of the Sacher Hotel in Vienna. From right to left, European Union, Austrian National Flag, the Union Jack and the American Flag.
Flags in Vukovar, Croatia at a war memorial. From left to right, EU flag, Croatian National Flag and the town flag of Vukovar.
National Coats of Arms
In Europe especially, there are often flags that display a national coat of arms. A flag of a country represents its population; the national coat of arms represents the government. These are displayed in different forms, sometimes on a flag, but usually on a building or perhaps a coin.
Here are just a few we have seen on our travels in Europe:
The national coat of arms on the Matthias Church window, in the Buda portion of Budapest, Hungary.
Presidential version Standard in Prague, Czech Republic The moto translated means “Truth Prevails”
The double eagle crest. The double eagle is the symbol of power and domination and used by empires. It was most notably used by the Byzantine Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Ausrto-Hungarian Empire and the Russian Empire. This crest is in Austria
The Double Eagle in gold at Peterhof in Russia—of course the czar would settle for anything less that gold on the crest.
My Final Thoughts
Nations and their borders are created by man. Most counties have a strong sense of national identity, with ethnic groups that have common languages, religions and customs and traditions.
Some of these countries have been created peacefully but many are a result of war or struggles of independence. Flag Day makes me proud to be an American. It makes me prouder yet to have served our country—Happy Birthday to the US Army and more importantly to all who have served.
It also makes me recognize there are many other wonderful folks who live in other nations and it inspires me to want to visit Europe more often. I want to be a good representative of our country and have more European experiences.
We hope this will inspire you to remember who were are as Americans, remember the importance of our flag and what it represents, and honor the US Army.
We also need to recognize many of our traditions and ideas came from Europe and by traveling to these places, we learn about our similarities and hopefully learn to embrace our differences.
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
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Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
