From the rooftop of the White House to tents on Army bases in Iraq, the American flag flies proudly all around the world.
Here are 10 historical and present-day photos of Old Glory on military installations and USO centers across the globe to celebrate the red, white and blue.
1. Toby Keith performs for military families in front of the American flag in 2010.
Award-winning country singer and songwriter Toby Keith performs for nearly 5,000 military families during a USO show inside a hangar at Ramstein Airfield in Germany. This was Keith’s eighth USO tour, during which he visited 14 countries and service members all over the world.
2. The American flag flies over the mountains of Afghanistan in 2017.
Marine Corps Capt. Kimberly Sonntag holds the American flag out the back of a CH-47 Chinook Helicopter. The helicopter was carrying former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, Command Sgt. Maj. John Wayne Troxell, the chairman’s senior enlisted advisor, and a slew of USO entertainers who were visiting service members deployed to the front lines during the holidays. The tour’s entertainers included Chef Robert Irvine, wrestler Gail Kim, comedian Iliza Shlesinger, actor Adam Devine, country musician Jerrod Niemann and WWE Superstars Mike “The Miz” Mizanin and Alicia Fox.
3. Service members carry Old Glory on a ruck march in 2016.
Army Sgt. Michael Swanker, carries the American flag during a ruck march on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.
4. The American flag adorns a casket during a burial at sea ceremony in 2009.
Sailors aboard the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall lift the American flag off a casket during a burial at sea ceremony.
5. The American flag is raised on the battlefield of Iwo Jima in 1945.
In this iconic photo, six U.S. Marines raise the U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima in the final stages of the Pacific Theatre of World War II on February 23, 1945.
6. The American flag flies in front of one of the first 3,000 USO centers operating during World War II in 1941.
The American flag flies proudly above the original USO flag at a USO center, which was built to support service members fighting in World War II.
7. USO legend Bob Hope continues his tradition of performing for the troops in 1983.
Bob Hope performs for American troops in Beirut in 1983, shortly after the Beirut barracks bombing.
8. American GIs head to the shores of Normandy on D-Day in 1944.
Grim and determined, these American soldiers head toward the French coast on D-Day as the American flag flew from the stern of their U.S. Coast Guard landing barge on June 6, 1944.
9. An American flag stands proudly in Antarctica in 2010.
Navy Cmdr. Scott Shackleton, a Military Sealift Command cargo officer, stands in front of McMurdo Station, Antarctica, to oversee the offload of two Military Sealift Command ships. Shackleton is a distant relative of the famous Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who never reached the pole despite three attempts. Each year, Military Sealift Command ships deliver 100% of the fuel and about 70% of the dry cargo needed to sustain personnel at the Antarctic scientific research post for an entire calendar year.
10. American flags can even be found underwater.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Julius Mcmanus plants an American flag underwater on the site where an American WWII military aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Deep sea divers are assigned to Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command and are responsible for assisting in the accounting of all Americans that have been reported as missing in the nation’s past conflicts.
Every day, America’s service members selflessly put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free. Please take a moment to let our troops know how much we appreciate their service and sacrifice.
