ONE DOLLAR BILL
*************
Take out a one dollar bill, and look at it. The one dollar bill you're
looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design.
This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend,
with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it.
It is actually material. We've all washed it without it falling apart.
A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know.
It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it
water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look.
*************
If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the U S Treasury Seal.
On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget.
In the center, a carpenter's square, a tool used for an even cut.
Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury.
That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that
dollar bill is something we should all know.
*************
If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles,
together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States.
The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin
and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took four years to
accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.
If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid.
Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark.
This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the
West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization.
*************
The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even
close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing
eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin's belief that no
man could do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God,
could do anything. "IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency.
The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means,
"God has favored our undertaking."
*************
The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means,
"a new order has begun." At the base of the pyramid is the Roman
Numeral for 1776. Look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully,
you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States.
It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at Bushnell, Florida Nat'l
Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most heroes' monuments. Slightly
modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and always
visible whenever he speaks, yet few people know what the symbols mean.
The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons:
First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and smart enough to
soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just
broken from the King of England. Also, notice the shield is unsupported.
This country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you
have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were
coming together as one nation.
*************
In the Eagle's beak, "E PLURIBUS UNUM", meaning,
"one nation from many people".
Above the Eagle, thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original
colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away.
Again, we were coming together as one.
Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch
and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to
fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch,
but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.
They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost
a worldwide belief. You seldom see a room number 13, or any hotels
or motels with a 13th floor. But think about this:
13 original colonies,
13 signers of the Declaration of Independence,
13 stripes on our flag,
13 on the Pyramid,
13 letters in the Latin above,
13 letters in "E pluribus Unum",
13 stars above the Eagle,
13 bars on that shield,
13 leaves on the olive branch,
13 fruits, and if you look closely,
13 arrows.
*************
Ask people, "Why don't you know this?"
Your children don't know this, and their history teachers don't either.
Too many veterans have given up too much too ever let the meaning fade.
Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care.
Too many veterans never came home at all.