Today is Flag Day, and President Obama says Americans should be proud of Old Glory by flying it wherever possible. He's made the customary proclamation designating Flag Day, but is also extending the observance by declaring the upcoming days as National Flag Week. The president has ordered flags displayed on all federal buildings during the week and is urging Americans to fly the Star and Stripes at their homes and other suitable places. Obama is also calling on Americans to observe the period from Flad Day through Independence Day as a celebration of the nation's heritage, by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at public gatherings.
"Flag Day does fall at a difficult time and it's not on people's calendars," said Dour Kirkpatrick, the exalted ruler of Portsmouth Elks Lodge 97, which hosts an annual Flag Day observance that includes a narrative history of the American flag and its evolution. "It's not pushed in the schools like it should be."
