Our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, was inspired by the British attack on Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor on September 13-14, 1814. Frances Scott Key, while onboard a British Frigate, penned the words after seeing the Flag of the United States still flying over Fort McHenry in the faint light of dawn. Despite 25 hours of shelling by British artillery on land, by British rockets, and by the British Navy, the American flag still flew above the fort. The Americans had won. The British had lost.

On July 4th we remember the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the British Surrender at Yorktown in 1781 marking the end of the American Revolution. We also remember all the wars the United States and our military have fought in since the Revolution. These wars include the War of 1812 (1812-1814), the end of the Civil War in 1865, the First World War surrender 1918, World War II (1941-1945), the Korean War (1950-1953), The Vietnam War (1955-1975), Desert Storm (1990-1991), Iraq War (2003-2011), and Afghanistan War (2001-2021). In all these wars, men and women gave their lives to preserve our freedoms spelled out in the Declaration of Independence.