Nevada Army Guard Brig. Gen. Michael Hanifan began his remarks during the 16th annual Flag Day ceremony at the Nevada Capitol Assembly Chambers Friday by explaining why the flags around the state were at half-staff.
“It’s not because a military professional has passed away, although that’s often what it a half-staff flag signifies,” Hanifan said at the ceremony hosted by the Nevada National Guard that marked the birthday of the U.S. Army on June 14, 1775, and the adoption of the U.S. flag on June 14, 1777. “It’s because of the two police officers who were killed in Las Vegas earlier this week.”
Hanifan, the commander of the Nevada Army Guard, referred to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officers Alyn Beck, 41, and Igor Soldo, 31, who were shot and killed Sunday at a pizza restaurant in Las Vegas by Jerad and Amanda Miller.
“I want everyone to remember that the flag doesn’t just represent military, but also represents all of our citizens and the people who try to protect our lives every day,” Hanifan said.
In addition to emphasizing the symbolic importance of the flag, the speakers at the ceremony educated the audience about the flag’s history, including topics such as Betsy Ross’s involvement in the design of the flag and the Continental Congress’s Flag Act.
The Flag Act of 1777 declared “the flag of the United States be made of 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”
Nevada Army Guard Command Sgt. Maj. Jared Kopacki, one of the speakers, recited the poem “My name is Old Glory,” written in 1994 by veteran Howard Schnauber. The composition recounts history and emotional feelings from the unique perspective of an American flag.
“But my finest hours are yet to come,” Kopacki said, repeating the poem. “When I am torn into strips and used as bandages for my wounded comrades on the battlefield, when I am flown at half mast to honor my soldier, or when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent at the grave of their fallen son or daughter, I am proud.
“I am the flag of the United States of America.”