Perhaps it is but a strange coincidence that the calendar date of the founding of America’s first military forces and the founding of the most powerful symbol of the freedoms the nation’s citizenry enjoy are one and the same.

Two years to the day after the birth of the Army, the Continental Congress adopted the following resolution using a report of a special committee that had been assigned to suggest a flag’s design: “That the flag of the United States shall be of 13 stripes of alternate red and white, with a union of 13 stars of white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”

Despite those early beginnings, honoring the flag on June 14 did not occur again until 1889, when Professor George Bolch, principal of a free kindergarten for the poor of New York City, had his school hold patriotic ceremonies to observe the anniversary of the Flag Day resolution. The initiative attracted attention from the New York Department of Education, which arranged to have the day observed in all public schools thereafter.

Similar efforts occurred in Pennsylvania, which recognized June 14 as a legal holiday in 1937, and in Wisconsin, where schoolteacher Bernard Cigrand spent years trying to get Congress to declare June 14 as a national holiday. Although Cigrand’s attempts failed, the day was widely observed throughout the state.

Both President Woodrow Wilson, in 1916, and President Calvin Coolidge, in 1927, issued proclamations asking for June 14 to be observed as the National Flag Day, but it wasn’t until August 3, 1949, that Congress approved the national observance and President Harry Truman signed it into law. Perhaps due to Cigrand’s early efforts, Pennsylvania remains the only state that recognizes Flag Day as a legal holiday worthy of a day out of school or work.

Tomorrow, consider commemorating the day one or two ways, or both. First, fly or display the flag outside your home, inside your office, or at a public place or gathering.  Second, whether you are a veteran yourself or not, call, email, or send a text message to someone you know who served in the Army or is currently serving to simply thank them. You could also engage them in a personal conversation about their service—where they were/are stationed, their Military Occupational Specialty, or when they served. Doing so could very well brighten their day.