Fort Phoenix VFW Auxiliary 2892 Fairhaven, MA

06/14/2026

06/14/2026

Elizabeth Griscom Ross (née Griscom;[1] January 1, 1752 – January 30, 1836), also known by her second and third married names, Ashburn and Claypoole,[1] was an American upholsterer who was credited by her relatives in 1870[2] with designing and making the first U.S. flag,[3][4] commonly known as the Betsy Ross flag. Though historians dismissed the story both then and now,[5] Ross family tradition[6][7] holds that General George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and two members of a congressional committee—Robert Morris and George Ross—visited Ross in 1776.[8] Ross convinced Washington to change the shape of the stars in a sketch of a flag he showed her from six-pointed to five-pointed by demonstrating that it was easier and speedier to cut the latter.[9] However, there is no archival evidence or other recorded verbal tradition to substantiate this story of the first U.S. flag. It appears that the story first surfaced in the writings of her grandson in the 1870s (a century after the fact), with no mention or documentation in earlier decades.[10] The myth was later incorporated into a large oil painting that appeared at the 1893 Chicago World's fair.[11] The painter, Charles Weisgerber, subsequently promoted the myth, even buying a house he deemed The Betsy Ross House.[12] He solicited money nationwide for the upkeep of the house as a tourist attraction. With the solicitations, he provided a synopsis of the myth with reproductions of his painting.[13]

Wikipedia

06/14/2026

The VFW strongly opposes the Take Care of America's Veterans Act, rejecting proposed VA disability compensation cuts to tinnitus and sleep apnea ratings.

06/14/2026

On this day in 1777, Congress adopted a resolution establishing an official flag of the United States: “Resolved, that the Flag of the thirteen United States shall be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the Union be thirteen stars, white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

Interestingly, Congress did not require that the stars be displayed on the flag in any particular pattern, so that the arrangement of the stars on the flag was left to the flag makers’ discretion. An early and popular version of the flag arranged the stars in a circle, to represent the equality of the states. Not until 1912, pursuant to an Executive Order of President Taft, was an official arrangement of the stars designated.

In 1794 two stripes and two stars were added to the flag, in recognition of the newly added states of Vermont and Kentucky. In 1818 Congress enacted a law requiring that the number of stars on the flag equal the number of states but returning the number of stripes to thirteen.

President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation in 1916, recognizing June 14 as “Flag Day,” as did President Calvin Coolidge in 1927. Not until 1949, however, did Congress pass a law officially establishing Flag Day as a national observance.

So, Happy Birthday to the Stars and Stripes and Happy Flag Day!

The image is “The Birth of Old Glory” by Percy Moran.

A Daily Dose…

06/14/2026

The VFW and its Auxiliary proudly congratulate the United States Army on 251 years of elite service, valor and sacrifice defending American liberty.

06/14/2026

Today is Flag Day!

Flag Day has been observed for more than 150 years, but its origins can be traced all the way back to June 14, 1777, when the Continental Congress declared, "The Flag of the United States shall be of thirteen stripes of alternate red and white, with a union of thirteen stars of white in a blue field, representing the new constellation."

In 1861, a celebration of the American Flag in Hartford, Connecticut focused on the Americanization of immigrant children, in 1889 the principal of a free kindergarten for the poor in New York City started a Flag Day initiative that caught the eye of the State Department of Education, and in 1893, Elizabeth Duane Gillespie, a direct descendent of Benjamin Franklin, proposed a resolution to the city of Philadelphia to observe June 14 as Flag Day (unfortunately, as she was a woman, this was largely ignored). Presidents Wilson and Coolidge, in 1916 and 1927, issued proclamations declaring June 14 Flag Day, but it was not until 1949 that President Truman signed it into law.

The VFW Auxiliary considers observances of Flag Day and of the American Flag itself an important part of the Americanism Program. Past and present traditions involving the Flag have included distributing them to immigrants who celebrating their new citizenship, participating in Flag retirement ceremonies alongside the VFW, welcoming visiting National Presidents with an Aisle of Flags, replacing tattered or faded Flags flying in front of local businesses, placing Flags on veterans' graves over Memorial Day weekend, carrying Flags during parades and teaching children about the history and meaning of the American Flag in schools through picture books and youth programs.

Happy Flag Day from the VFW Auxiliary!

06/13/2026

Trees for Soldiers 2026 base visits!!

06/12/2026

Today is is National Women Veterans Recognition Day.

As explained by the VA, this is not a Veterans Day just for women, but a celebration of the signing of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act in 1948, which was significant in that is allowed women the right to permanently and fully serve in the regular armed forces (and to be recognized as veterans after doing so).

Prior to the signing of this act, military women (save for nurses) were sent home after each conflict. Many were not treated as veterans who served their nation, but like civilians. They were often denied the rights and benefits afforded to men who'd served beside them, simply because of their gender. The act "deemed women essential to war efforts and allowed them to serve in the regular armed forces full time," (Missina Schallus, VA news).

Women have served in conflicts and wars throughout America's history, including the Civil War and the Revolutionary War, in positions as nurses and support staff (and even as spies!).

The VA notes, "Currently, Women Veterans Recognition Day is a state-recognized commemoration. This year, the states of Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah... and Wisconsin will recognize" it, as will the Virgin Islands.

With that in mind, today and every day we salute women veterans, regardless of when, where, how or how long they served, or whether they reside in a state that recognizes the holiday. Thank you all.