Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center (ECRC) raised the American flag for the first time during a ceremony held at ECRC headquarters, Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, on Flag Day, June 14.
ECRC recently finished installation of a new 30-foot flagpole in front of their headquarters building and elected to wait and raise their first flag in honor of Flag Day.
The first national observance of Flag Day took place in 1877 on the centennial of June 14, 1777, when the stars and stripes officially came into being as the symbol of a new nation authorized by the 2nd Continental Congress.
“Just as it has done for over 230 years, the American flag carries a message of freedom to all who see it. Americans continue to serve and sacrifice in its shadow for a greater good, a hope for a better world,†said Capt. Jeffery L. McKenzie, ECRC commanding officer.
“The flag we raise here today is no different. It is not with a sense of duty that we will care for her, but with honor.â€
ECRC was officially established in October to be the single process owner for oversight of the manning, training, equipping, deploying and redeployment functions for all Navy individual augmentees, in lieu of individuals, and provisional units. The command has continued to expand its responsibilities and now also acts as a conduit for help and support of families while the IA sailor is deployed.
By Chief Mass Communication Specialist Gwen A. Truett