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The 15-star flag of 1795-1818 which waved over Ft. McHenry after the additions of Kentucky and Ver- mont to the Union is said to have moved Francis Scott Key. He was inspired during the War of 1812. That flag endured 6 more years until the country grew again. President Woodrow Wilson, by Executive Order in 1916, labeled Key’s song, The Star Spangled Banner, The National Anthem to the American Flag. In 1931 Congress passed a measure making it the Official Na- tional Anthem. The current 50-star flag was adapted on 7/4/1960 with the induction of Hawaii as our 50 th state in The Union. Our American Flag is often referred to as “Old Glory”. This was the nickname given to a 10-by-17-foot US flag flown by sea captain William Driver. He wit- nessed his flag survive many failed attempts by Con- federate forces to seize and destroy it during the Civil War. He felt as much pride in his flag as had been felt during the war against the British. The nickname Old Glory remains today. Many patriot Americans like to display the flag. On June 22, 1942 Congress passed a joint resolution called The U. S. Flag Code. The basics are that the American Flag can be flown on any day of the year, except during inclement weather. The custom is to display the Flag on a flagstaff in the open from sunrise to sunset and at night only if luminated. The American Flag should never be on the floor or worn as part of a costume. Citizens should place their hands on their hearts when it is raised, lowered, or pledged to. It should be displayed at every public building, polling place, and school- house. www.southernsenior.info 5