Annual ceremony at the Nevada Veterans Memorial honors two historical events
CARSON CITY — With the remembrance of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion more than a week ago, and a Nevada Army National Guard brigade set to deploy later this year for Kuwait, the annual Flag Day and U.S. Army birthday celebration at the Nevada Veterans Memorial in Carson City focused on the time-honored history of the nation’s oldest military service and the strength of the red, white and blue.
With Friday’s pageantry as rich as the blue Nevada sky radiating above the Nevada State Capitol Building, speakers extolled the importance of the U.S. Army and the American flag the Continental Congress adopted on June 14, 1777. Just two years before, the Second Continental Congress founded an army that would unite the 13 colonies in their fight for independence from English rule.
KTVN news anchor Ryan Canaday, who has served as moderator for several years, first introduced Dave Fogerson, chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management and a retired firefighter with the East Fork Fire Protection District. Fogerson said the flag represents the hopes and dreams of the country and its people.
“The flag means so much to Americans,” he said.
Fogerson also reminded the audience that the flag symbolizes strength and determination. That strength and determination united the colonists, who first carried the flag into battle against the British, yet the official Flag Day wasn’t adopted until Congress approved a national observance on Aug. 3, 1949. President Harry Truman then signed the bill into law.
The Nevada Air Guard NCO Academy Graduates Association also presented a historical look at the flag’s evolution, while the Nevada Army Guard’s honor guard presented the colors. Brig. Gen. D. Rodger Waters, director of the Joint Staff, Nevada Army National Guard, saluted the U.S. Army’s birthday and gave a short history of the Army, beginning with the Revolutionary War and extending to the present.
“The U.S. Army has answered the call to defend and protect Americans against foreign and domestic challenges,” he said.
As of July 31, 2023, more than one million service members, including soldiers from the active Army, Army National Guard and Reserves, were serving their country and, according to Waters, deployed in 140 countries. He said the global reach protects the country.
“The National Guard supports national and local authorities,” Waters further explained, adding soldiers train with state and federal agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to respond to disasters.
Waters lauded the professional soldiers who he said represent the best the United States offers.
“Today, we salute the men and women who continue to serve the state and nation and their families,” the general added. “We appreciate the Army family members for their contributions and sacrifice.”
The soldiers serving in the Army have taken an oath like their predecessors more than 200 years ago. The oath of enlistment required the colonists to swear their allegiance.
“I have, this day, voluntarily enlisted myself, as a soldier, in the American continental army, for one year, unless sooner discharged: And I do bind myself to conform, in all instances, to such rules and regulations, as are, or shall be, established for the government of the said Army.”
Representatives from Nevada’s two U.S. Senators and Congressman Mark Amodei also presented proclamations to the Nevada National Guard.
After the ceremony, visitors were treated to cake honoring the Army’s birthday. Those who wanted shade from the sun but a short history of the 36-star American flag could view the painted flag at the Nevada State Library, Archives and Public Records. The first flag was flown above Fort Ruby after Congress granted statehood to Nevada on Oct. 31, 1864.
Troops raised the first flag with 36 stars at the remote outpost east of present-day Elko, providing watch over the Overland Trail in neighboring White Pine County. The soldiers assigned to Fort Ruby numbered between 100 to 300. Historians said the 36-star flag increased patriotism and represented the young nation’s ideals even when volunteers manned Fort Ruby after the Civil War.
