The flag of the United States of America isn’t a rectangular piece of cloth with ordinary stars and stripes; no, it tells a story centuries old and centuries long about the people and events that sculpted The Land of Opportunity.
When I see the 13 red and white stripes on the American flag, I remember the thirteen colonies that were the foundation of a long history. More than a century after Christopher Columbus’ first visit to the New Land in 1492, the British began establishing colonies from 1607 to 1732. I remember the circle of 13 stars that represented the colonies from the tip of New Hampshire all the way down to the base of Georgia. I remember the timely expansion and the inclusions of new states.

When I see the red, white, and blue, I picture the Battle of Iwo Jima. It’s 1945 and the U.S. and Japan engaged in the bloodiest, brutal fight of the War in the Pacific. Thirty-six days later, the Americans emerge victorious and  the Japanese surrendered. I picture the tens of thousands of lives lost on the battlefield and the sad souls of their families. I picture the brave, hard-fought soldiers raising Old Glory on Mount Suribachi.

When I see the American flag, I commemorate 9/11 and the two giants that once stood tall over Manhattan. The morning of September 11th, 2001, an airplane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m followed by another in the South Tower 9:03 a.m. By 10:28 a.m. and not even two hours after the first tower was struck, both towers had collapsed. I commemorate George Bush’s speech to the Ground Zero Rescue Workers with a flag held above high above his head as he stood next to Bob Beckwith. I commemorate the thousands of innocent lives lost from that fateful day.

   America and its flag wouldn’t be what they are today if it wasn’t for the great stories tied to them; if it wasn’t for Christopher Columbus discovering this land; if it wasn’t for the brave soldiers who lost their lives for our freedom; if it wasn’t for 9/11 bringing us together.