00                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 53                                                                     
01 Urging the United States Congress to pass H.R. 1034, designating the Honor and                                          
02 Remember Flag as an official symbol to recognize and honor members of the armed                                         
03 forces of the United States who died in the line of duty.                                                               
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS, even though war deaths have been a part of the heritage of the United                                
06 States since the birth of the nation, the United States has yet to adopt an official symbol that                        
07 commemorates fallen members of the armed forces; and                                                                    
08       WHEREAS H.R. 1034, introduced in the 111th Congress, designates the Honor and                                   
09 Remember Flag created by Honor and Remember, Inc., to officially recognize and honor                                    
10 fallen members of the armed forces of the United States; and                                                            
11       WHEREAS the red field on the Honor and Remember Flag represents the blood                                       
12 spilled by brave men and women who sacrificed their lives for freedom; and                                              
13       WHEREAS the blue star on the Honor and Remember Flag, which originated during                                   
14 World War I, symbolizes active service in military conflict, from the American Revolution up                            
15 to the present day; and                                                                                                 

01       WHEREAS the white border on the Honor and Remember Flag represents the purity                                   
02 of sacrifice; and                                                                                                       
03       WHEREAS the gold star on the Honor and Remember Flag signifies the ultimate                                     
04 sacrifice of a warrior in active service who is not returning home and reflects the value of a                          
05 life given; and                                                                                                         
06       WHEREAS the folded flag element on the Honor and Remember Flag signifies the                                    
07 final tribute to a fallen member of the armed forces and highlights a family's sacrifice; and                           
08       WHEREAS the flame on the Honor and Remember Flag symbolizes the eternal spirit                                  
09 of the departed;                                                                                                        
10       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the call to designate                                 
11 the Honor and Remember Flag as a unifying symbol that recognizes the nation's solemn debt                               
12 to the estimated 1,600,000 fallen members of the armed forces of the United States                                      
13 throughout the history of the nation and that honors the families and communities who mourn                             
14 their loss; and be it                                                                                                   
15       FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the 111th United                                       
16 States Congress to pass H.R. 1034, designating the Honor and Remember Flag as the official                              
17 symbol to recognize and honor members of the armed forces of the United States who died in                              
18 the line of duty.                                                                                                       
19       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                             
20 the United States; the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and                          
21 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of                                  
22 Representatives; the Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate; and the                                  
23 Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the                                          
24 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.