I had forgotten to mention Flag Day, which celebrates the emblem of our nation. Normally I’d fly the flag myself, but at the moment I’m traveling in Southern California on family business, so I haven’t the opportunity to put the flag up at home. I’ll do it here instead:

I took this photo at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in 2005 on my first visit to Washington DC. A reader of Captain’s Quarters gave us a private tour of the Pentagon earlier on the Fourth of July, and mentioned that the flag that had been draped over the wall of the Pentagon after the 9/11 attack was now on display at the museum. The post’s front image shows the workers at the Pentagon unfurling the flag on the day after the attack in a display of defiance towards the terrorists who had wreaked so much damage and killed so many people.

When I think of Flag Day, I think of this flag and its history — a history well worth recalling.

Also: Happy Birthday, US Army.