On Independence Day 2002, millions of people witnessed "a spectacular tribute written in the sky to the indomitable American spirit." Called The American Tribute, it was a simple idea incorporated into the nation's Independence Day fireworks displays, from San Francisco to New York Harbor. There was a silent sky, and then: a solitary, spectacular burst of red...followed, once the sky had cleared, by a solitary, spectacular burst of white...followed, once the sky had cleared again, by a solitary, spectacular burst of blue.

The American Tribute was been created to convey a timely message. During the still, reflective moments of The Tribute salute, people were reminded as they listened to their radios or event announcers, in a unifying way, what is signified by "The Colors of America":

Red, for the blood of many heroes shed; White, for freedom's light still shining bright; and Blue, for the courage to stand tall and true!

We again find ourselves at an unprecedented time in our nation's history. We need to rediscover the American spirit inside all of us. You may be wondering, 'what do they mean by American spirit?' The answer is quite simple: the American spirit is grounded in gratitude and a sense of American exceptionalism. This gives us a mutual understanding of our unity as Americans.

We are a group of students who have joined together to create a permanent reminder of the privilege that it is to be Americans – at the cost of generations of sacrifice. We view every public flag as a memorial to this. And we are working with friends and partners and communities across the country to help us "mark" as many flags as we can with The American Tribute stanza, as a timely reminder of what binds us together.

>To learn more about the beginning of the story, please click here.

>To learn more about The American Tribute Flag Memorial Project, please click here.