God
Bless Our Military!Forever Shall Our Banner Wave!
The
U.S. Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) also have active duty uniformed officers, known as the Commissioned
Officer Corps (see Uniformed services of the United States).
All branches are part of the United States Uniformed Services and are under
civilian control with the President of the United States serving as Commander-in-Chief.
All branches except the Coast Guard are part of the Department of Defense,
which is under the authority of the Secretary of Defense. The Coast Guard
falls under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security. During
wartime, the Coast Guard may be placed under the Department of Defense through
the Department of the Navy in times of need.
Stars & Stripes
The flag of the United States of America consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 U.S. states and the 13 stripes represent the original Thirteen Colonies that rebelled against the British crown and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include
"the Stars and Stripes" and "Old Glory", with the latter nickname coined by Captain William Driver, a nineteenth century shipmaster.
