To Honor Our Country's Birthday

The promised flag story written by my Great Uncle Gerald Heaney.

My Special Flag

The war in Europe was over. The Russians decided that they should have a victory parade in Prague. Not to be outdone, the Americans decided to have a victory parade in Pilsen. The American High Command decided that the 2nd Ranger Battalion should lead the parade. The problem was we didn't have a flag. Our Commander Officer, Colonel Arnold, ordered me to find a flag - not an easy assignment. No American unit wanted to give us a flag, so my only alternative was to have one made. I searched the city for someone who would sew a flag, but no one had the cloth.


Sergeant Yates and I went into Prague to find someone. We drove up and down those streets with no success. Years of war and rationing had taken their toll. Finally, we found a seamstress shop operated by two ladies who were honored to sew the flag. Working all that day and night, they completed the flag by the time we returned the next day. They refused to take money for their work.


It was a glorious flag. We carried it proudly in the victory parade and were the envy of all other units.


When the parade was over and we returned to the bivouac area, I retrieved the flag from the men who carried it, folded it properly, placed it in my foot locker, and brought it home.


I have flown the flag on many occasions and have told its history to many groups. That flag is my most precious possession. It is a constant reminder to me of the ultimate sacrifice made by so many of my friends and fellow soldiers in the 2nd Ranger Battalion.


And, here are some fun facts about July 4 from the US Census Bureau.  Happy Independence Day!

The Fourth of July 2010

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

2.5 million

In July 1776, the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation.

309.6 million
The nation's estimated population on this July Fourth.

Flags

$3.0 million

In 2009, the dollar value of U.S. imports of American flags. The vast majority of this amount ($2.5 million) was for U.S. flags made in China.

$920,277

Dollar value of U.S. flags exported in 2009. Mexico was the leading customer, purchasing $333,882 worth.

$301.5 million

Annual dollar value of shipments of fabricated flags, banners and similar emblems by the nation's manufacturers, according to the latest published economic census data.

Fireworks

$209 million

The value of fireworks imported from China in 2009, representing the bulk of all U.S. fireworks imported ($217 million). U.S. exports of fireworks, by comparison, came to just $42.9 million in 2009, with the United Arab Emirates purchasing more than any other country ($14.5 million).

$331.4 million

The value of U.S. manufacturers' shipments of fireworks and pyrotechnics (including flares, igniters, etc.) in 2007.

Patriotic-Sounding Place Names

31

Number of places nationwide with "liberty" in their name. The most populous one as of July 1, 2008, is Liberty, Mo. (30,568). Iowa, with four, has more of these places than any other state: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty.

• Thirty places have "eagle" in their name -- after the majestic bird that serves as our national symbol. (Places include cities, towns, villages and census-designated places.) The most populous such place is Eagle Pass, Texas, with 26,668 residents.
• Eleven places have "independence" in their name. The most populous of these is Independence, Mo., with 110,440 residents.
• Five places adopted the name "freedom." Freedom, Calif., with 6,000 residents, has the largest population among these. (This population total is as of the 2000 Census; no population estimate is available for Freedom because it is a census designated place.)
• There is one place named "patriot" -- Patriot, Ind., with a population of 189.
• And what could be more fitting than spending the Fourth of July in a place called "America"? There are five such places in the country, with the most populous being American Fork, Utah, population 27,064.

Early Presidential Last Names

138

Ranking of the frequency of the surname of our first president, George Washington, among all last names tabulated in the 2000 Census. Other early presidential names that appear on the list, along with their ranking, were Adams (39), Jefferson (594), Madison (1,209) and Monroe (567).

The British are Coming!

$93.2 billion

Dollar value of trade last year between the United States and the United Kingdom, making the British, our adversary in 1776, our sixth-leading trading partner today.

Fourth of July Cookouts

More than 1 in 4

The chance that the hot dogs and pork sausages consumed on the Fourth of July originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State was home to 18.9 million hogs and pigs on March 1, 2010. This represents more than one-fourth of the nation's total. North Carolina (9.1 million) and Minnesota (7.2 million) were the runners-up.

6.5 billion pounds

Total production of cattle and calves in Texas in 2008. Chances are good that the beef hot dogs, steaks and burgers on your backyard grill came from the Lone Star State, which accounted for about one-sixth of the nation's total production. And if the beef did not come from Texas, it very well may have come from Nebraska (4.6 billion pounds) or Kansas (3.9 billion pounds).

6

Number of states in which the value of broiler chicken production was $1 billion or greater between December 2007 and November 2008. There is a good chance that one of these states -- Georgia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi or Texas -- is the source of your barbecued chicken.

About 1 in 3

The odds that your side dish of baked beans originated from North Dakota, which produced 34 percent of the nation's dry, edible beans in 2009. Another popular Fourth of July side dish is corn on the cob. Florida, California, Georgia, Washington and New York together accounted for 66 percent of the fresh market sweet corn produced nationally in 2009.

Please Pass the Potato Salad

Potato salad and potato chips are popular food items at Fourth of July barbecues. Half of the nation's spuds were produced in Idaho or Washington state in 2009.

More than three-fourths

Amount of the nation's head lettuce production in 2009 that came from California. This lettuce may end up in your salad or on your burger.

7 in 10

The chances that the fresh tomatoes in your salad came from Florida or California, which combined accounted for 70 percent of U.S. fresh market tomato production last year. The ketchup on your burger or hot dog probably came from California, which accounted for 95 percent of processed tomato production in 2009.

Florida

The state that led the nation in watermelon production last year (818 million pounds). Other leading producers of this popular fruit included California, Georgia and Texas, each with more than 500 million pounds.

76 million

Number of Americans who said they have taken part in a barbecue during the previous year. It's probably safe to assume a lot of these events took place on Independence Day.