Armed Forces Day

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military for their patriotic service in support of our country. On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days.The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense.

Ever wonder what the FMAA stamp on your US Flag Now flag stands for?

FMAA = Flag Manufacturers Association of America

The Flag Manufacturers Association of America (FMAA) is a non-profit trade association, established in 2003, representing the leading United States flag manufacturers and suppliers dedicated to educating and promoting the quality, variety and proper use of flags manufactured in the United States.

FMAA is currently comprised of manufacturer and related industry members who believe in keeping American flags made in the U.S.A. The FMAA mission is to:

• Educate members of the general public about the United States manufactured flag industry and its significance to community, economic and social development.
• Provide a proper, practical and efficient means of maintaining contacts among members of the United States manufactured flag industry and local, state and federal government.
• Facilitate the exchange of information within the industry by sponsoring educational seminars, conferences and programs, and assist members in maintaining compliance to existing standards/laws on matters relating to the development and enhancement of the United States manufactured flag industry.

As a unified group of manufacturer and related industry members with common interests and goals, our efforts can:

• Establish a “Made in the U.S.A. ” certification that will instill confidence in the buying public. FMAA's certification program is exclusively for manufacturers to establish and promote flags made entirely in the United States, in accordance with the United States country of origin labeling requirements for all flags manufactured in the United States . FMAA has begun to promote the certification program and seal to the public and to commercial flag dealers.
• Create and distribute press releases to the public to promote FMAA and industry-related issues. FMAA distributes press releases to trade media outlets and daily, national newspapers about FMAA, the “Made in the U.S.A. ” certification program and the grave maker/prison labor issue.
• Monitor governmental affairs relating to the flag industry. FMAA is engaged in some legislative monitoring of issues affecting the United States flag industry, to ensure when issues arise in the federal and state legislatures, FMAA is aware of them and prepared to represent the industry's concerns

*Information from www.fmaa-usa.com

Photos from my Coshocton, OH visit

On December 3, 2013 I took a trip to Coshocton, OH to visit the Annin Flagmakers facility. US Flag Now is an Authorized Dealer of Annin, so the flags you purchase from us online are made here at this location (or one of the others). Take a look at the photos below showing the flag making and shipping process. Also please LIKE our Facebook Page and check back later for a Newsletter with a summary of my trip.

 

-Cait O'Connor

 

Veterans Day Facts

Veterans Day Facts

• In 1954, President Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
• In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved the celebration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971, but in 1975 President Ford returned Veterans Day to November 11, due to the important historical significance of the date.
• Britain, France, Australia and Canada also commemorate the veterans of World Wars I and II on or near November 11th: Canada has Remembrance Day, while Britain has Remembrance Sunday (the second Sunday of November). In Europe, Britain and the Commonwealth countries it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every November 11.

Veterans Facts

The brave men and women who serve and protect the U.S. come from all walks of life; they are parents, children and grandparents. They are friends, neighbors and coworkers, and an important part of their communities. Here are some facts about the current veteran population of the United States.

• 9.2 million veterans are over the age of 65.
• 1.9 million veterans are under the age of 35.
• 1.8 million veterans are women.
• 7.8 million veterans served during the Vietnam War era (1964-1975), which represents 33% of all living veterans.
• 5.2 million veterans served during the Gulf War (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990, to present).
• 2.6 million veterans served during World War II (1941-1945).
• 2.8 million veterans served during the Korean War (1950-1953).
• 6 million veterans served in peacetime.
• As of 2008, 2.9 million veterans received compensation for service-connected disabilities.
• 5 states have more than 1 million veterans in among their population: California (2.1 million), Florida (1.7 million), Texas (1.7 million), New York (1 million) and Pennsylvania (1 million).
• The VA health care system had 54 hospitals in 1930, since then it has expanded to include 171 medical centers; more than 350 outpatient, community, and outreach clinics; 126 nursing home care units; and 35 live-in care facilities for injured or disabled vets.

Information taken from History Channel

9/11 Patriots Day - Postcard Mailing

 

Check out the Postcard Mailing we did for Patriots Day this year. We sent this Postcard to all of the local Fire and Police Departments offering them Specials on the Flag of Heroes and Flag of Honor.

 

The Flag of Heroes carries the name, rank, and affiliation of the emergency services personnel who game their lives on September 11, 2001.

 

The Flag of Honor contains all the name of those who perished in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, United Airlines Flights 175 and 93, and American Airlines Flights 11 and 77.

 

 

Please call or email us today to purchase your flag!

cait@usflagnow.com

855-223-6164

 

Happy Flag Day!

Friday - June 14, 2013 

 

Happy Flag Day!

 

 

Flag Day Facts Flag Day was observed for the very first time in 1877 on the 100th Anniversary of the adoption of our country's Red-White-and-Blue Banner. In 1916, President Woodrow established Flag Day as an annual National Celebration. Congress officially recognized Flag Day by passing the National Flag Day Bill in 1949, during President Harry Truman's Administration.

Flag Day

The History Of Flag Day

The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the students in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.  On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the kids of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.  Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to show the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as 'Flag Day', and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag. Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children met, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and speeches delivered.  In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.  Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: "I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself." Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.